Women-led mob forces Army to leave Manipur village without 12 militants

A women-led mob of 1,200 to 1,500 people forced the Indian Army to walk out of a village in Manipur’s Imphal East without apprehending 12 Kanglei Yawol Kanna Lup (KYKL) militants late on Saturday (June 24).

The stand-off at Itham village continued for nearly the whole of Saturday. Finally, the Army took “a mature decision” to not risk civilian lives and left with seized weapons and ammunition, officials said on Sunday.

#WATCH | Manipur: Security forces launched an operation acting on specific intelligence, in village Itham in Imphal East district on 24th June. The operation resulted in apprehension of 12 KYKL cadres along with arms, ammunition and war-like stores. Self-Styled Lt Col Moirangthem… pic.twitter.com/B1yXoJ9WKo

— ANI (@ANI) June 25, 2023

The KYKL, a Meitei militant group, was involved in several attacks, including the ambush of a 6 Dogra unit in 2015, they said. Among those holed up in the village was self-styled Lt Col Moirangthem Tamba alias Uttam, a wanted terrorist who may have been the mastermind of the Dogra ambush tragedy, officials said.

What happened in Itham?

Around 2.30 pm on Saturday, the army, acting on specific inputs, launched an operation in Itham and cordoned off the perimeters  was laid. The 12 KYKL cadres were held with arms, ammunition, and “war-like stores”. But the mob, led by women, surrounded the Army column and prevented forces from going ahead with the operation.

“Repeated appeals to the aggressive mob to let the security forces carry on with operation as per law did not yield any positive result,” the officials said.

Also read: All-party meet on Manipur: All efforts being made to restore peace, says Amit Shah

“Keeping in view the sensitivity of the use of kinetic force against a large irate mob led by women and likely casualties due to such action, a considered decision was taken to hand over all 12 cadres to the local leader,” the Army said.

Army shows “humane face”

The Army’s decision to leave was taken keeping in mind the need to “avoid any collateral damage during the ongoing unrest in Manipur”. The Army also commended the commander in charge of the operation for taking a “mature decision” which showed the “humane face of the Indian Army”.

Women-led mobs thwarting security operations is not new in Manipur. On June 22, a women-led mob blocked a CBI team from entering a police training college to investigate the looting of arms. On June 23, too, similar mobs stopped security personnel from reaching an area from where militants were firing.

More than 100 people have lost their lives in the ethnic violence between Meitei and Kuki communities in the northeastern state so far. Clashes first broke out on May 3 after a Tribal Solidarity March was organised in the hill districts to protest against the Meitei community’s demand for Scheduled Tribe (ST) status.

Meiteis account for about 53 per cent of Manipur’s population and live mostly in the Imphal Valley. Tribals — Nagas and Kukis — constitute another 40 per cent of the population and reside in the hill districts.

Also read: Will build prefabricated houses for those displaced by violence: Manipur CM

Home Minister Amit Shah claimed during an all-party meeting on Saturday (June 24) held specifically to address the situation in Manipur that all necessary measures were being taken to restore peace in the state.

On June 4, the Union government formed a three-member judicial inquiry panel to probe the ethnic violence in Manipur on the recommendation of the state government. However, the violence in Manipur continues unabated so far.

(With agency inputs)