Bodies of 3 civilians recovered near Manipur’s Churachandpur, feared to be missing Meitei villagers

Four villagers had gone missing Wednesday evening. Bodies were recovered Thursday morning from Haotak Phailen area, a senior police officer says.

Representational image | ANI

Imphal/Guwahati: The bodies of three civilians were recovered Thursday morning in an area near Manipur’s Churachandpur district, with the police suspecting that they could be those from a group of four Meitei villagers who went missing from neighbouring Bishnupur the previous day.

A senior police officer from Bishnupur district confirmed The Print over telephone about the recovery of the three bodies from Haotak Phailen area.

The bodies, however, are yet to be identified.

“The three bodies we have found so far are suspected to be of the missing persons who went to collect firewood,” the police officer added.

Police have launched an investigation into the killings even as details remain sketchy.

Oinam Romen, Ahanthem Dara, Thoudam Ibomcha and Thoudam Anand, the missing men from Wangoo Terakhong Akasoi area under Kumbi police station in Bishnupur, used to collect firewood from Mapal Lok near Kumbi, ThePrint has learnt from civilian sources.

Lok in the local dialect means a stream.

While Kumbi is located 6 km south of Moirang in Bishnupur district, Haotak Phailen is about 10 km from Moirang in Churachandpur subdivision of Churachandpur district.

According to the police, suspected Kuki militants fired bombs and rained bullets at Meitei villagers working at the paddy fields in Kumbi Haotak area Wednesday evening, forcing them to flee.

Panic-stricken villagers abandoned houses and took shelter at safer locations, they said, adding that the firing stopped only when security forces deployed nearby retaliated.

It was only after the Meitei villagers regrouped later that they realised that the four men were missing, the police said.

Eight months on since the ethnic violence between the tribal Kuki-Zo community and non-tribal Meitei majority erupted, there are no signs of a resolution. At least 200 people have reportedly been killed and tens of thousands displaced. People in large numbers are still languishing in the relief camps across Manipur.

(Edited by Tony Rai)