New Delhi:

Hundreds of members of Manipur’s Meitei community came out on the streets in Delhi and other cities in a silent candlelight protest, seeking the safety of six people who have been missing since an encounter broke out between suspected Kuki militants and the security forces in the state’s Jiribam district on Monday.

Students from the Meitei community gathered at some parks in north Delhi, candles and printouts in their hands, and stood in silence. In the valley areas of Manipur, several civil society groups have called a shutdown.

More silent, candlelight gatherings are planned in several cities on Wednesday, a Delhi-based member of a Meitei forum said.

Three women and three children including a two-year-old baby went missing on Monday after suspected Kuki insurgents set houses of the Meitei community on fire, a Meitei civil society organisation in Jiribam said.

A purported photo of the six missing people was leaked from a WhatsApp group, which showed them sitting on the ground near some bamboo trees. NDTV could not independently verify the authenticity of the photo.

However, members of the Meitei civil society organisation shared the names and ages of the missing people, and identified all the six in the photo.

“We express our deepest concern for the lives and well-being of those who have been taken captive. These individuals, being innocent civilians, should never be subjected to violence or used as tools in conflicts. Our organisations stand together in condemning this heinous act and demand the immediate release of the abducted women and children,” the Manipur Innovative Youth Organisation Delhi (MAIYOND), Manipur Students’ Association Delhi (MSAD), and United Kakching Students (UNIKAS) said in a joint statement on Tuesday.

“We call upon the authorities to take swift action to ensure their safe return and to bring those responsible for this atrocity to justice. Violence against innocent civilians is an affront to human dignity and peace, and we will not stand idly by as such acts continue to take place,” they said.

“The fate of these women and children are unknown. They are reportedly held hostage by Kuki armed groups. This impunity towards civilians violates all humanitarian protocols. The fear is glaringly seen in the eyes of the hostages. Stop dis (sic) deliberate brutality. Release them safely,” Dr Arambam Noni, associate professor at Imphal-based DM University, posted on X.

Manipur Police officers in a press conference on Tuesday said the security forces are searching for the missing people, and operations are going on in several areas.

The police have denied allegations by Kuki groups that the 10 men killed in the Jiribam encounter were “village volunteers”.

“Several press releases from organisations have surfaced on social media, alleging baseless claims against the CRPF [Central Reserve Police Force] and Manipur Police… accusing the authorities of foul play. In this regard, factual account of the incidents is hereby issued…” the Manipur Police posted on X.

Several press releases from organizations have surfaced on social media, alleging baseless claims against the CRPF and Manipur Police regarding the incident of 11 November, 2024 at Jakuradhor, Borobekra under Jiribam District, accusing the authorities of foul play. In this…

— Manipur Police (@manipur_police) November 12, 2024

A CRPF soldier was injured in the attack by the suspected Kuki militants in the district bordering Assam. The bodies of two elderly men from the Meitei community were also found inside a house in Jiribam that was set on fire by the suspected insurgents, residents said.

Last month, two men from the Meitei community were held hostage allegedly by a Kuki insurgent group in Kangpokpi district from September 27 till October 3. They were released after the authorities coordinated with the Kuki group Committee on Tribal Unity.

On Thursday last, a woman from the Hmar tribe was killed by suspected Meitei insurgents, who also set houses on fire in Jiribam. Her husband in a police case alleged she was raped before she was killed. A day later, a woman from the valley-dominant Meitei community was shot dead by suspected Kuki insurgents while she was working in a paddy field.

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Central security forces including the Assam Rifles have faced allegations of bias while operating in Manipur. The valley-dominant Meitei community has often alleged Assam Rifles of going soft on Kuki militants due to the suspension of operations (SoO) agreement.

The Kuki tribes had protested against the Centre’s move to shift two Assam Rifles battalions to Jammu and Kashmir, to be replaced by CRPF in the areas in Manipur the Assam Rifles had vacated.

The CRPF is the country’s biggest Central Armed Police Force (CAPF). It has evolved into an efficient fighting force with huge successes in anti-Maoist operations in Jharkhand and other states. It made significant contributions to eradicating Naxalism, particularly in West Bengal and in the Kaimur and Rohtas regions of Bihar.

The Kuki tribes and the Meiteis have been fighting since May 2023 over a range of issues such as land rights and political representation.