New Delhi: Nothing has been found so far on the whereabouts of the Meitei individuals ‘abducted’ by miscreants earlier this week, following the fresh wave of violence in Manipur, sources in Manipur Police have told ThePrint. The rescue teams are following the trail of the missing persons.
The police are in talks with Kuki groups, but there is no confirmation yet that the civilians are in their custody.
According to the police, it has been confirmed that six people, including women and children, are missing, as of now. Their identities have been confirmed by their families.
According to Meitei groups, the missing people include Yurembham Rani Devi (60), Telam Thoibi Devi (31), Laishram Heitonbi Devi (25), and three children.
“We learned from a Facebook page that this incident had occurred, but no one has claimed responsibility. We are reaching out to the groups, but they are denying any involvement,” a police source said. “It is a Kuki-dominated area, so no one from the public is coming forward with any information or intelligence. Efforts are ongoing, and we are trying to engage with senior Kuki leadership.”
Speaking to ThePrint, Thangtinlen Haokip, information secretary of the Committee on Tribal Unity (CoTU), said that terming the Kuki men as “militants” is wrong as they were “village defence volunteers”. He said that the incident follows the fresh spate of violence in Zairawn, the Hmar-dominated village of Jiribam, where houses were burnt, and a woman was allegedly shot, sexually assaulted and burnt.
“The volunteers were angry after the violence in Zairawn village. Photos and videos were all over social media. They had been following the Arambai Tenggol and the state forces, and reached the Borobekra police station area. They asked the police to send them out,” Haokip said.
“The CRPF forces asked the men to drop their weapons to maintain law and order, and they trusted them as they are the central forces. However, instead, when they were leaving, they were fired upon and killed. Some of the men were also beaten to death.”
Haokip added that he had no information on the abduction.
Jiri Apunba Lup, the apex Meitei body in Jiribam, has said in a statement that 16 houses were burnt and two Meitei men killed by the Hmar-Kuki “militants”, and has asked the government to take immediate action and rescue the kidnapped individuals.
The police had previously said that 13 people had gone missing after the attack by “Kuki militants” in Jiribam and that three of them had been rescued. In the gun fight between the Central Reserve Police Force personnel, 10 “Kuki militants” were killed.
Addressing media persons Tuesday, Inspector General of Police (Operations) I.K. Muivah said that security forces had resorted to retaliatory firing because the “militants” allegedly used sophisticated weapons against them. The police said that three AK-47 rifles, four self-loading rifles, two INSAS rifles and one rocket propelled grenade had been recovered.
Meanwhile, bodies of two elderly Meitei men—Laishram Barel Singh (61) and Maibam Keshwo Singh (75) were recovered Tuesday during a search operation in the Jakuradhor village.
Also Read: 10 ‘militants’ killed in clash with CRPF in Manipur. Kuki groups call for shutdown in solidarity
‘Attack by Kuki militants an act of revenge’
Regarding Monday’s attack, a senior government officer said that it appeared to have been an act of revenge in response to the death of a tribal woman last week.
“They wanted to send a message, saying that even the CRPF won’t be able to protect you. This was an attempt to assert dominance. If the force had not responded, it would have been mayhem. Over 300 people live in the area, and the damage could have been much worse. Moreover, the ripple effect could have caused complete chaos across the entire state,” the officer explained.
Around 50 miscreants, all armed with sophisticated weapons, had attacked the area in Jiribam, the officer confirmed. Ten of the attackers were killed, while others managed to escape. Nine of the 10 miscreants killed were from Churachandpur.
In a press statement, the police said Tuesday, “On 11 November, 2024, at about 2.30 to 3 pm, Borobekra Police Station, where IDPs (Internally Displaced Persons) were given shelter and the CRPF Post located at Jakuradhor (located nearby), Jiribam district were simultaneously attacked by militants with heavy sophisticated weapons, including RPG and automatic weapons. In the said attack, some nearby houses were damaged and burnt down by the militants”.
According to the statement, the “armed militants” were not ambushed, but were killed in retaliatory firing by security forces.
“Had the security forces not retaliated, the damage could have been much more. Further, the armed militants have been found to be from distant Churachandpur and Pherzawl Districts, and had traversed a long distance to Jiribam District for planning/ executing these attacks,” the police said.
“During the attack, one CRPF constable, namely Sanjeev Kumar, sustained bullet injury and was evacuated to Silchar Medical College, Assam, and is under treatment. Reinforcement teams consisting of Assam Rifles, CRPF and Civil Police were rushed there. Operations in and around Jakuradhor, under Borobekra Police Station, Jiribam District continue to flush out armed militants.”
(Edited by Mannat Chugh)
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The land of the Kuki-Hmar-Zo belongs to them. Their land was blended with Kangleipakmeitei Kingdom) by the British and together become Manipur and subsiquently a part of India. The land cannot be a part of india without the people to whom the land belongs.
Kuki-Hmar-Zo people are not Indian. They are Myanmarese. They are illegal immigrants who have illegally settled on Indian land. They have absolutely no rights over Manipur.
The Indo-Myanmar border must be sealed permanently. All Kuki-Hmar-Zo people must be rounded up and deported to Myanmar.