An “aggressive” mob comprising 1,200 to 1,500 people prevented the Indian Army from carrying out an operation against a banned terrorist group in violence-hit Manipur, the Indian Army said.
Around 12 cadres of Kanglei Yawol Kanna Lup (KYKL), listed as a banned terrorist organization by India’s National Investigation Agency (NIA), were in hiding at a location in Itham village in Imphal (East) district when the Indian troops laid siege to the place.
The Army said that it “apprehended” the 12 militants with arms, ammunition and “war-like stores.”
One of the detained militants was identified as Moirangthem Tamba, alias Uttam, who the Army said masterminded an ambush assault on the Army in 2015, an incident which left nearly 20 Indian troops dead.
However, the mob, led by local women, surrounded the “the target area and prevented the security forces from going ahead with the operation,” the Army said.
“Keeping in view the sensitivity of use of kinetic force against the large irate mob led by women and likely casualties due to such an action, a considered decision was taken to hand over all 12 cadres to the local leader. Our own columns lifted the cordon and left the area with weapons and war-like stores recovered from insurgents,” the Indian Army said.
The Army underlined that the “mature decision” taken by the Operational Commander showed the “humane face” of the Indian Army.
It said that the decision was taken with the purpose of avoiding any “collateral damage” during the “ongoing unrest” in Manipur, a state which lies at the India-Myanmar border.
Communal Clashes in Manipur
The northeastern Indian state has been witnessing tensions between the majority Meitei and minority Kuki communities over the proposal to designate Meities a ‘Scheduled Tribe (ST)’.
Constituting over 60 percent of the state’s population, Meitei reportedly occupy nearly 10 percent of the state’s territory, as they are not allowed to buy land in the hill areas. Their ST designation would allow them to buy land in these areas, which have a sizeable population of Kuki and other tribal communities.
In March, the Manipur High Court had directed the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-led state government to notify the Meitei community as an ST.
Ethnic violence flared in early May after a “solidarity march” by tribal groups against the proposed inclusion of the Meitei community in the ST category led to clashes between the two groups. Over 100 people were killed in those clashes.
The Indian Army was called in last month to control the surging violence. The Indian troops have rescued thousands of people from both the communities and evacuated them to relief camps organized by the authorities.