Three of the six people who went missing from a relief camp days ago, following a gunfight between Kuki militants and security forces, have been found dead near the Manipur-Assam border, sources said on Saturday. It is alleged that they were kidnapped and held hostage by the militants.
The bodies of a woman and two children were discovered near a river in the remote village of Jirimukh on Friday evening, the sources added.
On November 11, a group of militants attacked a police station in the Borobekra area, but the assault was thwarted by security forces, resulting in the deaths of 11 militants. While retreating, the militants allegedly kidnapped three women and three children from a relief camp near the police station.
A massive search operation was underway to trace the missing persons. However, the whereabouts of the other two women and one child remain unknown.
A purported photo of the six missing persons has been viral on social media. But, police did not confirm whether they were kidnapped.
Meanwhile, candlelight vigils were held in Imphal and Jiribam on Thursday night, demanding the "immediate release" of the missing persons.
Tensions in Manipur, which has been witnessing ethnic violence between the Kuki and Meitei communities for more than one and a half years, spiked recently with multiple incidents of violence. Ethnically diverse Jiribam, which had largely remained untouched by the clashes in Imphal Valley and the adjoining hills, experienced violence after the mutilated body of a farmer was found in a field in June this year.
On November 7, a Hmar tribal woman, who was the mother of three children, was tortured and killed by miscreants in Jiribam following an attack by a group of armed militants. The autopsy report of the 31-year-old woman revealed that she had been subjected to third-degree torture and suffered 99 percent burns. Several of her body parts and limbs were missing.
Meanwhile, a protest march was held, demanding justice for those killed in the November 11 gunfight with the security forces. The protesters claimed that those killed were "tribal volunteers" who were protecting their villages and innocent people.
The Centre, on Thursday, reimposed the Armed Forces Special Powers Act (AFSPA) in Manipur's six police station areas, including Jiribam. The Union home ministry asserted that the decision was taken in light of the "continuous volatile situation" due to the ongoing ethnic violence.
More than 200 people have been killed, and thousands rendered homeless, in ethnic clashes between Imphal Valley-based Meiteis and the adjoining hills-based Kuki-Zo groups since May last year.
