The situation in Manipur remained tense on Tuesday, a day after 11 suspected militants were killed in a gunfight between militants and security forces. The bodies of two elderly Meitei men were recovered in the morning, while six people including three women and three minors are said to be missing.
While a search operation is underway to find the missing persons, thirteen civil society organisations have called for a total shutdown in the five districts of the Imphal Valley on Tuesday evening. The groups alleged "coordinated attacks" in multiple places of the state in the recent days.
3 Women And 3 Minors Misssing
Manipur police in a press conference today confirmed a large cache of fire arms was recovered from the slain militants-which was enough to cause chaos in the area.
Referring to a photograph of a purported photographs of the six missing persons in captivity of militants that has been doing the rounds on social media, police said the authenticity of the photograph cannot be confirmed They however said an operation was underway to trace them.
Jiri Apunba Lup, the apex Meitei body in Jiribam, claimed the six missing persons were of the same family.
Speaking to reporters about Monday's attack, IGP (Operations) I K Muivah, confirmed that the missing include three women and three minors.
"In the attack, the miscreants used RPGs and sophisticated automatic weapons such as AK and INSAS rifles and SLRs. Ten militants were found dead after the retaliation by security forces and one CRPF jawan was injured and was evacuated to Assam for treatment. Two elderly civilians were also found dead, while three women and three minors remained missing," said Muivah
About purported photographs of the six missing persons in captivity of militants doing the rounds on social media, IGP (Administration) K Jayanta Singh said, "We have seen the photographs... however, things are not confirmed yet. Search operations will continue."
According to PTI, the six missing persons were identified as Yumrembam Rani Devi (60), Telem Thoibi Devi (31) and her daughter Telem Thajamanbi Devi (8), Laishram Heithoibi Devi (25) and her two children Laishram Chingkheinganba Singh (two-and-a-half-years old) and Laishram Lamnganba Singh (10 months).
Civil Society Bodies Call For 24 Hrs Total Shutdown In Imphal Valley
The shutdown has begun at 6 pm and will continue for 24 hours, civil body International Peace and Social Advancement (IPSA) said in a statement.
"We demand the immediate rescue of the six abducted people. Kuki militants are engaging in attacks on defenceless Meitei people without any impunity. There is no rule of law in the state. The government has completely failed to protect civilians from coordinated attacks by militants at Koutruk, Senjam Chirang and Kadangband," the statement said.
Among these 13 civil society bodies are the All Clubs Organisations Association and Meira Paibi Lup (ACOAM Lup), Indigenous People's Association of Kangleipak (IPAK) and Kangleipak Students' Association (KSA).
The Jiribam United Committee also called on authorities to take urgent action to "free" the six individuals and ensure their safe return.
It condemned the killing of the two elderly persons and expressed deep concern over the violence in Jiribam.
Meitei group Coordinating Committee on Manipur Integrity (COCOMI) also demanded the immediate "rescue" of the six people, alleging that negligence by both state and central forces resulted in the incident.
Tagging PM Narendra Modi, Union Home Minister Amit Shah and CM N Biren Singh, Congress's Inner Manipur MP Bimol Akoijam posted on X, "Do whatever you must with all the resources under your command to ensure their safety and freedom from their armed "Kuki" abductors. God forbid, if anything untoward happens to these innocent women and children, you shall be solely responsible."
Jiribam Gunfight And Killings
The Manipur Police said 10 militants were killed after security forces retaliated an attack on the Borobekra police station and a nearby CRPF camp on Monday afternoon. However, a senior government official had put the toll at 11.
Around 100 people were staying at the relief camp on the police station compound. Following the attack, the bodies of two elderly people have been recovered and another three have been rescued, while three women and three children remained untraced.
Following the gunfight in Jiribam, fresh violence was reported from multiple places in Imphal Valley where armed groups from the two warring sides engaged in exchanges of fire, police told PTI.
The violence in Manipur began in June of 2023 and reportedly, more than 200 people have been killed and thousands became homeless in ethnic clash between Imphal Valley-based Meiteis and adjoining hills-based Kuki-Zo groups.
Jiribam has been ethnically diverse and was largely untouched by the clashes but the mutilated body of a farmer was found in a field in June, 2024 and several incidents have followed.
(With PTI inputs)
