NEW DELHI: Indian Army acknowledged on Saturday that their forces were coerced to release 12 arrested insurgents in Manipur, India. As per Indian media reports, the insurgents were arrested in Itham village of Manipur on Saturday but they (insurgents) were released after a women-led mob forced the army to free them.
India: Women-led mob compels Indian Army to release insurgents in Manipur
According to Indian media, a mob led by women surrounded the army personnel and the targeted area after the arrest of insurgents. The aggressive mob did not permit the army to proceed, and eventually, the army handed over all 12 insurgents to the mob in the area, Indian media reported.
Earlier, a group of individuals targeted the private godown of Manipur’s Consumer and Food Affairs Minister, L Susindro, in Chingarel, Imphal East district, setting it ablaze and reducing it to ashes, according to local police.
Another attempt was made to torch another property belonging to the minister, as well as his residence in Khurai, but timely intervention prevented further damage. Security forces had to deploy tear gas shells throughout the night to prevent the mob from surrounding the minister’s residence in Khurai.
Similarly, two vehicles were burned by an angry mob in two separate incidents in Imphal West and Thoubal in Manipur, India, local media reported on Friday.
According to media reports, an angry mob set ablaze a Maruti Alto car at Thoubal Wangbal along Imphal-Moreh Road. Meanwhile, another car was also set ablaze by unknown men at Potsangbam Khullen under Sekmai Police Station in Imphal West.
This act of violence follows a series of similar incidents in the region. On June 14, unidentified individuals set fire to the official quarters of Manipur’s woman minister, Nemcha Kipgen, in Lamphel area, Imphal West district. Furthermore, an attack was made on a house belonging to Union Minister RK Ranjan Singh, with attempts to burn it down the next day.
The northeastern state of Manipur has been engulfed in ethnic violence between the Meitei and Kuki communities, resulting in over 100 fatalities and the destruction of numerous houses, leaving many people homeless. The clashes initially erupted on May 3 after a ‘Tribal Solidarity March’ organized in the hill districts to protest the Meitei community’s demand for Scheduled Tribe (ST) status.
The Meiteis, comprising approximately 53 percent of Manipur’s population, primarily reside in the Imphal Valley. The remaining 40 percent is made up of Nagas and Kukis, who are tribal communities residing in the hill districts.
