Two Kukis Who Were Abducted in Manipur Found Dead
The Wire Staff
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New Delhi: Manipur chief minister Yumnam Khemchand has informed the state’s assembly during the budget session that two Kuki persons who were abducted on Wednesday (March 11) were found dead a day after on Thursday (March 12). In another development, 21 civilians who were allegedly held in retaliation to the abductions of the two people were safely released, said the chief minister, reported Hindustan Times.
Chief minister Khemchand said that the case will be handed over to the National Investigation Agency (NIA).
The two deceased have been identified as Thengin Baite of Thawai Kuki village in Kamjong district and Thangboimang Khongsai of Shangkai in Ukhrul district, said Khemchand in his statement during the seventh session of the 12th Manipur Legislative Assembly in Imphal on Thursday.
Congress MLA K Meghachandra also moved a calling attention motion, seeking clarification from Manipur home minister K. Govindas about the steps taken by the government to prevent further escalation amid reports of a heavy exchange of gunfire at Thawai village along with the abduction of civilians along the Imphal-Ukhrul road.
In response to the motion, minister Govindas told the assembly that a gunfight reportedly took place between two armed groups from around 6.30 am to 9 am on Wednesday in the Mapithel hill range of Ukhrul district.
The gunfight was triggered after two Kuki villagers were allegedly abbducted by unidentified armed groups.
However, in an alleged retaliatory move, 21 civilians belonging to the Tangkhul Naga community who were travelling along the Ukhrul-Imphal road were abducted by some members of the Kuki community at Shangkai village in Ukhrul district, he said.
Govindas told the assembly that chief minister Khemchand held a meeting with governor Ajay Kumar Bhalla at Raj Bhavan in Imphal on Wednesday evening to discuss the situation, reported Hindustan Times.
After the meeting, the chief minister issued a statement calling for safe, immediate and unconditional release of the abducted civilians. Thereafter, the 21 civilians were safely released on Thursday, with the intervention of the district administration and civil society organisations, said the minister.
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