June 19 Lilong Incident
June 19 2023 Lilong Incident: 51 mm Mortar Seized From Meitei Terrorists. Why Did Meitei Terrorists Need A Mortar In Imphal City, Emptied Of Kukis?
Texts of News Reports re-edited by me. Commentary by me.
Assam Rifle Seizes Mortar During Night Checking In Thoubal, 4 Arrested
Assam Rifles personnel on June 19 seized a 51 mm mortar from a vehicle that was coming from Thoubal towards Imphal in Manipur at around 10 p.m.
Assam Rifles intercepted a Tata Safari SUV registration number AS01-BH-4431 along National Highway 2 (NH2).
During the search, they seized one mortar (NL009504 GCF 2005) and arrested four persons, Haorongbam Ranjit, Ngangom Shanta Meitei, Abujam Naoba and Mutum Robindra, all Meiteis.
Later, the culprits were handed over to Lilong Police Station today, June 20, and an FIR was registered against them.
It is further reported that today, June 20, at around 4 am, in violation of curfew, a huge mob of Meiteis gathered at, and tried to storm, the Lilong Police Station in connection with this arrest but were dispersed by a team of Thoubal District Police and Assam Rifles Company 33.
Subsequently, it is reported that locals in various locations of Thoubal District blocked roads to protest the seizure of the mortar, and the arrests.
Assam Rifles moves additional troops to secure Sinzawl Bridge on National Highway 102B that is the only route for essential supplies to Lamka ("Churachandpur") District in Kukiland.
A source said that additional columns were moved after security forces picked up chatter from Meiteis that Valley-Based Insurgent Groups, (VBIG in Indian military parlance), were planning to damage the bridge which connects Manipur with neighbouring Mizoram.
Lamka District has been getting essential supplies by road from Mizoram as Meiteis have blocked access from the northern Imphal Valley regions of Manipur; that is the road from Mizoram now being threatened by Meitei insurgents.
In the southeast, the border areas of Chandel and Tengnoupal, primarily Kuki and Naga-dominated districts, are now dependent on Myanmar for the supply of essentials as they are blocked from the rest of Manipur.
On Tuesday, Mizoram CM Zoramthanga tweeted that "2,388.50 quintals of rice have been sent to Kuki-Zo tribes in Kukiland and internally displaced persons residing in Mizoram by the Government off Mizoram, including other relief supplies."
A total of 11,785 internally displaced people from Manipur have taken shelter in Mizoram since the eruption of ethnic strife in Manipur, Mr. Zoramthanga said.
More than 4,000 weapons and lakhs of ammunition have been snatched from police armouries in two phases since May 3.
A little over a thousand weapons have been recovered or returned to police armouries so far.
According to officials, the bulk of stolen weapons are with Meiteis including VBIGs while a smaller number are with Kukis.
A senior government official said that many of the snatched weapons are believed to have been handed on to the banned Meitei VBIGs who have entered from Myanmar; the intrusion of 60 to 70 such squads have been recorded in the Valley since May 3.
In 2018, the Union Home Ministry had extended the ban on eight Meitei extremist entities for advocating the secession of Manipur from India.
The Ministry said in a notification that the outfits were "maintaining camps in neighbouring countries for the purpose of sanctuaries, training and clandestine procurement of arms and ammunition."
The banned groups included the Peoples' Liberation Army of Manipur (PLAM) and the United National Liberation Front (UNLF).
According to a fresh assessment by security agencies, before the May 3 ethnic violence started in Manipur, PLAM & UNLF had four camps at Myothit, Thongren and Thanan in Myanmar, with a combined strength of 150 to 160 cadres.
"The cadres of both Meitei and Kuki groups have now been armed with stolen weapons and are attacking civilians," said the official.
On June 19, four suspected cadres of the UNLF were apprehended at Lilong in Thoubal, the army said.
A 51 mm mortar, said to have been stolen from a police armoury, was found on them.
"Acting on intelligence inputs, Mobile Vehicle Check Post was established near Police Station Lilong on June 19 night. Four VBIG cadres in two separate vehicles were apprehended with a 51 mm mortar & handed over to the Manipur Police," the army said in a tweet.
A defence source said that soon after the four suspects were apprehended and handed over to the police, they picked up chatter where two groups were discussing the arrests.
"One of the callers is saying that he has been alerted that a combing operation is planned in the area on Tuesday and they should delay their operation," the source said.
The source added that a large crowd had gathered outside the police station after the suspects were handed over to police on Tuesday morning. "The crowd was demanding their release."
"All four, who were booked under various sections of the Arms Act, were out on bail within hours," said the source.
The source added, "Incidents of firing pattern in the past few weeks reveals that firing undertaken by people not unfamiliar with weapons. On Monday, an army soldier was injured in Imphal West in precision attack."
COMMENTARY
1. How many weapons were looted from the custody of Central & State Government forces?
Was it "approximately 4000"?
News Reports show that the vast majority of weapons stolen, more than 90%, were by Meiteis in Meiteiland.
Also, that the weapons were generally peacefully handed over by Meitei policemen, troopers, etc., even collecting Aadhar cards against the illegal handover of weapons.
Also that Meiteis systematically destroyed registers and records that could advise for the precise number of weapons stolen.
Press reports indicate that Meiteis thus seized, took possession, or were unlawfully handed weapons exceeding 10,000 in numbers.
By contrast, Kukis managed to secure less than 600-800 weapons from State & Central Government Forces in Kukiland.
Kukis were forced to loot a Meitei owned private Arms dealership store in Lamka in Kukiland to get more weapons for self defense from Meitei terrorists, including Manipur Police, Manipur Rifles and also rogue elements of Assam Rifles led by Meitei Commanding Officers (CO) perpetrating pogroms against the Kukis in tandem with Manipur Police, Manipur Rifles, and the "Arambai Tenggol" and "Meitei Leepun" private terrorist armies.
A number of less than 1000 weapons have been recovered across Meiteiland and Kukiland.
2. Why Did Meitei Terrorists Need A Mortar In Imphal City, An Urban Settlement, From Where All Kukis Have Already Been "Ethnic Cleansed"?
The only obvious targets in Imphal City are the Indian Army and it's auxiliary Assam Rifles paramilitary.
The only obvious conclusion is that the Meitei Terrorists wish to ratchet up their terrorism, to go all out after the Indian Army, Assam Rifles, which Meitei Racist-Supremacist hate because they are, by and large, comparatively neutral, not biased in favor of the Meiteis like the Manipur Police and Manipur Rifles.
3. What Happened At Lilong, Night of June 19, 2023, & Subsequently?
Assam Rifles intelligence picked up info that Meitei Terrorists were transporting a 51 mm looted mortar from Thoubal city, to Imphal City. A checkpoint was instituted, two vehicles were seized, 4 men were arrested in possession of a looted 51 mm mortar, and were handed over to the Lilong Police. Despite there being a curfew, thousands of Meiteis gheraoed (surrounded) the Lilong Police Station, demanding that the four terrorists be released, presumably with the mortar, but were driven away by Assam Rifles aided by Manipur Police. Meitei mobs, again in violation of the curfew, blockaded roads and streets to protest the arrest of the 4 Meitei terrorists and the seizure of the mortar. Lilong Police Station quickly produced the 4 Meitei terrorists before a magistrate or judge who equally quickly released them on bail.
This is the state of affairs in Meiteiland.
Each and every element of the State in Meiteiland is corrupted, compromised, single-mindedly dedicated to the Meitei Program of Genocide and even Holocaust of the Kukis.
Even the judiciary.
Meiteiland has slipped out of the hands, and power, and authority, of the Indian State.
To bring Meiteiland back under the Authority of the Indian State, it is necessary to impose not just President's Rule, it is gone far beyond a situation that can be managed solely by imposition of President's Rule.
It is urgently necessary to impose Martial Law, along with Emergency, and to transfer and strictly confine Manipur Police and Manipur Rifles to Barracks in Assam, Bihar, West Bengal, etc., to reopen and re-operationalize the Concentration Camps in Rajasthan, etc. used to confine Chinese Indians during the 1961 War to Arrest, Confine the three main Meitei Terrorist entities, the Meira Paibis, Arambai Tenggol, Meitei Leepun, and other Meitei Racist, Supremacist, Rapist, Lyncher, Murderer, Curfew-violator, etc., terrorists.
Only in this manner, can Meiteiland be brought back under the power and authority of the Indian State.
It is also urgently needed, however, to arrest N. Biren Singh and his accomplices and accessories in the Manipur State Government, and to investigate and try them under Martial Law to identify the Perpetrators, Orchestrators, Facilitators of the three main Meitei Terrorist entities Meira Paibis, Arambai Tenggol, Meitei Leepun, and of the Meitei Mobs, of the Genocide of the Kukis in Meiteiland and in Kukiland, for the crime of waging war against India, sedition, high treason, crimes against humanity.
Lucio Mascarenhas
