Mob sets houses afire, forces open fire as Manipur remains on edge

A group of armed miscreants ransacked 15-16 abandoned houses and set them on fire in Moreh town of Manipur on Wednesday, following which a gun battle broke out between the armed mobs and security forces, officials familiar with the matter said.

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The miscreants started arson at the main market of Moreh, bordering Myanmar, around 8 am, an official said. Most houses and shops in the town area have been abandoned since May 3 and 4- the first two days of the violence, the official added.

"The personnel of Manipur police, Border Security Force and Assam Rifles were conducting area domination exercise in the morning," the official said.

"A group of armed miscreants were ransacking and setting the abandoned houses on fire, following which the forces rushed there to intervene." Even as the forces managed to stop the first group from burning the houses, more such groups - around 500-600 miscreants - came from different directions and refused to leave the area, officials said.