IT News
Kangpokpi, Feb 27:
Combined security forces, including state police and the Assam Rifles, carried out an operation today to demolish illegal bunkers and check posts set up by armed Kuki Village Volunteers along National Highway-102 between Kanglatombi and Kangpokpi. The structures, erected to regulate vehicular movement, were dismantled to restore normal traffic flow.
The operation commenced at 4 am, with bulldozers demolishing the illegal structures, and was successfully completed by 9 am. However, a large crowd, including women from Gamliphai, gathered to resist the security forces’ action. Amid the obstruction, six suspected Kuki Village Volunteers were apprehended, and an illegal check post and bunker at Gamliphai were dismantled.
According to a police report, the arrests were made after members of the Kuki-Zo community staged a protest against the demolition drive. These arrests mark the first in Kangpokpi district since Manipur was placed under President’s Rule on February 13.
The dismantled structures had been set up during the ethnic violence that erupted on May 3, 2023. Reports indicate that anti-social elements had been using them to collect illegal taxes from vehicles traveling along the highway for several months. The security operation aimed to ensure the free movement of traffic and is considered a crucial step toward restoring normalcy in the region.
The apprehended individuals have been handed over to the local police station for further legal proceedings.
