Kukiland Express Desk | By Kimbawinu Vaiphei
Tengnoupal: May 1, 2026
An emergency shutdown gripped the border town of Moreh in Tengnoupal district on Thursday evening after security forces arrested village volunteer Otkhothang Baite, also known as Othang Baite. The Kuki Women Union & Human Rights (KWU&HR), Moreh Block, enforced the total shutdown at 3:05 PM, bringing movement and business to a halt. Angered by what they called an “unjust arrest,” scores of womenfolk marched to Moreh Police Station and attempted to rescue Baite, confronting police personnel at the gate. Tensions ran high as community leaders demanded his immediate release, arguing that village volunteers have been guarding vulnerable settlements since ethnic violence erupted in Manipur.
Hours after the arrest, the National Investigation Agency (NIA) identified Baite as a prime accused in the killing of Moreh Sub-Divisional Police Officer Chingtham Anandakumar Singh on October 31, 2023. According to the NIA, Baite was allegedly part of a conspiracy by suspected Kuki militants who opened fire on a district police team at a playground during the peak of ethnic unrest in the state. The SDPO was hit in the stomach and later succumbed to his injuries. Moreh Police had initially registered the case, which the NIA took over in March 2024. The agency said its probe revealed the attack was aimed at “creating terror in Manipur.”
The NIA confirmed that Baite, a resident of Moreh, was taken into custody as part of its ongoing investigation in case RC-02/2024/NIA/IMP. The agency had earlier this month arrested another accused, Kamginthang Gangte, in connection with the same case. Officials maintained that evidence points to a wider network behind the assault on the police team, and that further arrests are likely as the probe progresses. The central agency reiterated that it is pursuing all angles to dismantle what it described as “militant infrastructure” operating along the Indo-Myanmar border belt.
The KWU&HR and local residents, however, strongly rejected the NIA’s charges, accusing the agency of framing Baite to cover up its own failures. Women leaders at the protest said Baite is a village volunteer who has been defending civilian areas from armed attacks, not a militant. They alleged that the central agency is “using Othang Baite as a scapegoat for its incompetence” in controlling violence in Moreh. The Union argued that repeated arrests of community volunteers without transparent evidence have deepened distrust between Kuki villagers and central forces, and warned that the shutdown would continue until Baite is released and due process is ensured.
Moreh has remained one of the most volatile flashpoints since ethnic conflict broke out in Manipur in May 2023, with frequent gunfights, arson, and displacement along the border. Thursday’s shutdown adds to the town’s prolonged instability, disrupting essential supplies and movement across the international trade point. With the NIA investigation ongoing and public anger mounting, community elders have appealed for impartial judicial scrutiny to prevent further alienation. As night fell, security was tightened around the police station, while the KWU&HR vowed to intensify democratic agitation if Baite is not handed over to local authorities for a fair hearing.
