Jiribam: Amid escalating tensions in Manipur’s Jiribam district, the bodies of three women were taken to the Silchar Medical College and Hospital (SMCH) morgue in Assam on Friday evening. The women remain unidentified, sources from the morgue said. The bodies were found in Jiribam and were brought to SMCH around 7 pm, as the district lacks adequate facilities for autopsies. Silchar, located about 50 km from Jiribam, handles such cases for the area, NDTV reported.
The development comes after a group of six, including three women and three children, were reportedly abducted by suspected Kuki militants in Jiribam’s Bokobekra locality on Monday. Among the children taken hostage were an infant and a two-and-a-half-year-old child. The women included the mother of the two younger children, all from the Meitei community.
Manipur gunfight
According to sources, the kidnappers launched the abduction during a gunfight between suspected militants and the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) in the area. The encounter resulted in the deaths of ten suspected Kuki militants. Security forces showed recovered weapons, including AK-47 rifles, INSAS assault rifles and a rocket-propelled grenade launcher, as evidence from the operation.
Laisharam Herojit, a state government employee, identified his wife, two children and mother-in-law among the hostages. On Monday, Herojit received a distressing call from his wife, who described being surrounded by armed individuals before the line disconnected. Attempts to reach her and his mother-in-law failed, as their phones were switched off, according to the NDTV report.
A friend of Herojit’s wife said witnessing the hostages being taken away on a boat across the Barak River, located near the CRPF camp and local police station.
Kukis dispute official account
The Kuki community has disputed the official account of the deceased militants, describing them as “village volunteers.” However, security officials dismissed the claim, citing the heavy weaponry recovered at the scene. The hostage crisis and the finding of the bodies have further fuelled tensions in the conflict-hit region. Investigations are ongoing and the identities of the deceased women are yet to be confirmed.
