An Indian Army Junior Commissioned Officer (JCO) was reportedly taken by a group of armed individuals from his home in Thoubal district, Manipur, on Friday morning. The officer, Konsam Kheda Singh, was on leave from his posting outside Manipur at the time.
The incident occurred at around 9:30 am at the JCO's residence in Charangpat. Fortunately, no one was harmed during the brief incident. Authorities have yet to determine the motive behind the abduction as no group has claimed responsibility or made any demands.
Police have identified several suspects and are actively pursuing them. However, obtaining information from the officer's family has been challenging as they seem reluctant to cooperate, possibly out of fear.
A joint operation involving state police, Indian Army, and central armed police forces has been launched across multiple districts in Manipur to locate and rescue the abducted officer.
The incident adds to the ongoing unrest in Manipur, marked by ethnic clashes between the Meiteis, dominant in Imphal Valley, and the tribal Kuki-Zo communities since May of the previous year. The violence has resulted in 219 casualties and displaced approximately 50,000 people. Security forces in the state have also been impacted, with government figures indicating that 198 civilians and the remaining from security forces have lost their lives in the violence. Additionally, 1555 individuals have been injured, with 88 from the state police and 28 from central security forces.
