Molcham police station burnt down by unknown militants

IMPHAL, April 8: The newly constructed police station at Molcham village on the Indo-Myanmar border in Chandel district was burnt down by some unidentified armed men last night, according to reports reaching here. The police station, constructed at a cost of Rs 1.2 crore by the Manipur Police Housing Corporation, had been completed last year, but it was currently unoccupied. Reports said around a hundred well armed men dressed in combat fatigues came to the police station at around 8 pm last night, and set the police station buildings on fire. The unidentified persons also used bombs and explosives for the task, the reports added. All the buildings at the police station, including the main building, kitchen, two barracks and four type-III quarters are reported to have been seriously damaged. Neither the identity of the attackers nor the reason for the arson is known as yet. While the Manipur Police Housing Corporation had handed over the completed police station to the Government in November last year, neither the previous government nor the current one make any move to activate the police station. Despite repeated pleas from the residents of Molcham for deploying adequate security forces in the area, even the police station building did not have any armed guards. Mention may be made that there have been frequent reports recently of harassment of Indian citizens residing in Molcham and its vicinity by Myanmar Army personnel. The disappearance of border pillar no. 66 erected at Molcham has also been a matter of considerable controversy.