A defence source brought to light the dead bodies of at least 13 men in Tengnoupal district of Manipur which is located close to the Myanmar border. The bodies of these men were found by the Assam Rifles on December 4 and are yet to be identified. As per sources, an Assam Rifles team rushed to the spot around 10.30 a.m. after receiving intelligence inputs about an intense gunfight between the Meitei and the Kukis at Leithao village in Tengnoupal, a Kuki-dominated area, the source said.
“Search operations have been launched in the area to apprehend the suspects. Under what circumstances the 13 men were killed is also being investigated,” the source said.
The Assam Rifles camp located close to the site of incident lies at a distance of around 10 kilometres. The area reported zero casualties in the past seven months when the ethnic violence between the majority Meitei community and the tribal Kuki-Zo people peaked in the State. Therefore, the Assam Rifles had not deployed any troops in the area, a source revealed.
The Manipur Police posted on X that 13 persons were killed in a gunfight between unknown armed miscreants at Leithao village near Saibol, under the Machi police station in Tengnoupal district. “District police and security forces rushed to the spot, a case has been registered and investigation is going on,” the police said.
In another development, the National Revolutionary Front Manipur (NRFM), a Meitei underground group, joined the United National Liberation Front (UNLF), a banned Meitei group that signed a peace accord with the Government of Manipur and the Government of India on November 29, the Union Home Ministry said in a statement. Around 25 leaders/cadres of the NRFM, led by Major Boicha (Vice Chief of Army Staff of NRFM), along with 25 weapons, joined the UNLF on December 2, the Ministry said.
“With this, most of the outfit’s members have taken a step towards abjuring the path of violence. The development is likely to give a momentum to efforts of Government of India to restore peace and normalcy in Manipur,” it said.
Additionally, the Ministry informed that the was formed on September 11, 2011 by cadres of three factions of the Kangleipak Communist Party (KCP), a Meitei insurgent group.
“Its senior leaders operated from bases in a neighbouring country and were involved in violence and extortion in various parts of the Manipur Valley. The development is likely to encourage other Meitei underground outfits to join the peace process and pursue their demands in a democratic manner,” the Ministry said.
