Arson and gunfights erupt in Manipur town located on the border of Myanmar, India.

GUWAHATI: The India-Myanmar border town of Moreh virtually looked like a war zone as armed groups and security forces engaged in an intense gunfight after a mob burned down Wednesday morning about 30 houses and shops that have been abandoned in the days following the ethnic strife in Manipur that began on May 3.

According to security sources, the mob gathered in the town around 9.30am and over the next two hours, houses and shops were torched at three different locations. Even a guest house belonging to the forest department was partially damaged.

The security forces attempted to disperse the mob, which eventually resulted in an exchange of fire with “unknown armed groups”. The mob finally dispersed around 12.20pm, a source said.

The sleepy town of Moreh — with its traditional wooden stilt houses, frontier hotels and stores — is located 120km southeast of Imphal. The rutted NH-102 winds through hills to connect Imphal with the town that was once envisaged to be a major international trading centre.

Addressing a gathering at the Kargil Vijay Diwas function in Imphal, CM N Biren Singh blamed the current situation on elements seeking to disturb peaceful co-existence of communities in the state.

He said the trouble began when his government cracked down on drug cartels and warned that it would not yield to any threats aimed at disintegrating the state. Singh appealed to the people to refrain from violence and help the government restore peace for all communities.

On Tuesday, miscreants fired gunshots in the Heikol and Phougakchao Ikhai areas, wounding three civilians. Security forces retaliated, repelling the shooters.

In connection with the burning of two buses at Sapermeina in Kangpokpi district on Tuesday, nine people, including a juvenile, have been arrested, police said. Additionally, police are conducting searches to catch those involved in the parading of two women naked on May 4. So far, seven have been arrested.

Singh tweeted construction of temporary houses in Thoubal is nearing completion, and soon families from relief camps will be able to move in.