IMPHAL- Three children and three women are missing from Manipur’s Jiribam since Tuesday after an encounter broke out between suspected Kuki insurgents and the security forces. The children include a two-year-old baby.
“Security forces have launched an operation to search for the missing people. They are three women and three children. The Assam Rifles, Border Security Force and the Central Reserve Police Force will retaliate if fired upon,” a senior Manipur Police officer told reporters in the state capital Imphal today.
Manipur: Two bodies recovered in Jiribam, curfew imposed
The police officer said a total of 13 internally displaced people were reported missing yesterday from Jiribam. Two have been found dead, five have been traced, and six are missing, the officer said.
The two bodies were identified as two senior citizens from the Meitei community. Both were found inside a structure that was set on fire by the militants, the police officer added.
Manipur: 10 Armed Militants killed in encounter with CRPF in Jiribam
The Manipur Police in a press conference today said the 10 killed in the encounter had enough firepower to create chaos in the affected area in Jiribam, near the border with Assam.
Civil society groups of the Kuki tribes have said the 10 were not insurgents but “village volunteers”, and have sought a thorough investigation into the circumstances that led to their killing.
However, the security forces have released visuals of the weapons they claimed were found in the hands of the “militants”. They included an RPG launcher, and AK and INSAS assault rifles.
