Manipur tense again as man goes missing in army camp

Tension gripped parts of the Imphal West district in ethnic strife-torn Manipur on Tuesday after a 56-year-old man belonging to the Meitei community remained missing for over 24 hours from the 57 Mountain Division Leimakhong Army camp, officers said.
Laishram Kamal Babu, a resident of Loitang Khunou village in Imphal West, was a supervisor involved in contract work at the army camp. According to his family, Kamal’s mobile phone has been switched off since 2 pm on Monday after he left for work at the Leimakhong army camp.
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“Joint search operations have been initiated in the area by the police and central forces,” a police officer from Kangpokpi district said.
Leimakhong is situated on the border of Kuki-dominated Kangpokpi and Meitei-dominated Imphal West.
The disappearance sparked widespread anger, with a large number of protesters, mostly women, taking to the streets on Tuesday early morning, blocking the roads and demanding answers to his whereabouts.
“As usual, Kamal entered the Leimakhong Army camp through Gate No 1. Upon inquiry, we learned that he registered at the main gate of the 57 Mountain Division campus at around 9.30 am on Monday. However, by 2 PM, his phone was switched off. We appeal to the army at Leimakhong to find Kamal, who went missing inside the camp,” a woman protester at Kanto Sabal said.
A labourer working under Kamal told reporters that he met the missing supervisor at the worksite around 1.30 pm. “But I haven’t seen him since,” he added.
A family member of Kamal who met Major General SS Kartikeya, General Officer Commanding (GOC) of the 57 Mountain Division, quoted the senior officer as saying that around 2,000 army personnel have been deployed to trace the missing man.
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“The army deployed choppers in the search operation to trace the missing supervisor or spot his scooter but are yet to find him or his scooter. In the hills and jungle near the camp, quadcopters were also used to trace the missing man and his scooter. Two separate meetings were also held, one with Leimakhong village defence committee members (Kukis), local residents(Kukis) and another with the Meitei local people. The tribal people and leaders were asked to come forward with any information if they have,” an army official requesting anonymity said.
“This incident could exacerbate the law and situation again. The Meitei people were asked not to cause any roadblock as it is hampering the search operation. The CCTV cameras have not captured the man’s exit anywhere so police and Army officials are checking the campus. The two forces are again checking the CCTV cameras feed from across the campus,” they added.
Since May 3 last year, Manipur has been in the throes of ethnic strife between Meitei and Kuki communities that has claimed at least 250 lives so far and uprooted tens of thousands.
Meanwhile, a top Meitei body on Tuesday announced a “shutdown” of central and state government offices for two days from November 27, demanding removal of the Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act, or AFSPA, and an operation against suspected Kuki militants.
Addressing a press conference, Coordinating Committee on Manipur Integrity (COCOMI) coordinator Thokchom Somorendro claimed the state government has “failed” to act on a resolution adopted during the November 18 meeting of legislators to initiate an operation against suspected Kuki militants.
“The state government, in a meeting of NDA legislators on November 18, had adopted a resolution for removal of AFSPA and to conduct a ‘mass operation’ against Kuki militants within seven days. However, the government has failed to act on its resolution within the stipulated time frame,” he alleged.