Manipur Police Officers Abducted and Assaulted; 2 Arambai Tenggol Members Arrested

Two members of the radical Meitei group Arambai Tenggol were arrested on Sunday for allegedly abducting and assaulting four Manipur Police personnel from the state's Kangpokpi district in Imphal East.

This marks the second incident this year involving Arambai Tenggol members in the abduction and assault of police personnel.

Manipur: 2 Arambai Tenggol Members Arrested

A statement was issued by the Manipur Police on Monday Morning where they shared that the arrest of Taibanganba Sanoujam, 25, and Moirangthem Bobo, 40, both belonging to Arambai Tenggol, for their involvement in the abduction and physical assault. The police mentioned that search operations are ongoing to apprehend other individuals implicated in the incident, as reported by Indian Express.

According to the police, the four Village Defence Force personnel - Ram Bahadur Karki, Ramesh Budhathoki, Manoj Khatiwoda, and Md. Taj Khan - were on duty when they were stopped and abducted from Imphal East at around 12.30 pm on Saturday. They returned to the Kangpokpi police station at around 3.30 pm the same day.

Due to the conflict-driven divide and boundaries, police personnel from the Kuki-Zomi community in the Kangpokpi district, where they constitute the majority, no longer operate in Meitei-majority areas of the state. Similarly, Meitei police personnel do not often operate in Kuki-Zomi majority areas, as reported by Indian Express.

As per a police officer from the Kangpokpi district, the four men were tasked with collecting items from the commando complex in the police headquarters in Imphal on Saturday morning. They were warned by personnel inside the complex of potential danger outside and were instructed to return to Kangpokpi without the items.

However, on their way back, they were intercepted by around 30 armed individuals in Koreingei, Imphal East, blindfolded, taken to an undisclosed location, and physically assaulted. They were eventually released, but their mobile phones and cash were stolen during the ordeal.

In February this year, two police personnel, including an additional superintendent of police, were abducted by Arambai Tenggol in Imphal East following the arrest of some group members by the police for vehicle thefts. The abducted personnel were later rescued, as per media reports.

After this incident, Manipur Police commandos in various valley districts laid down their arms in protest, and the police accused the group of engaging in "anti-social" and criminal activities while allegedly gaining false public support under the guise of public protection.