Manipur: Army had to release 12 militants, dreaded commander after vehicles were surrounded by mob

Imphal: Security forces in Manipur’s Imphal East district on Saturday nabbed a dozen militants of the Kanglei Yavol Kanna Lup (KYKL) outfit but had to hand them all over to local leaders after they were heckled by a women-led mob. The forces prevented them from proceeding further, an official said. Acting on specific intelligence inputs, the Army and Assam Rifles launched an operation in Itham village of Imphal East district after midnight on Saturday and cordoned off the area before the actual search began to avoid inconvenience to the local people, according to a defense spokesperson. was surrounded.

“The operation resulted in the capture of 12 KYKL cadres with arms, ammunition and war like stores. Self-styled lieutenant colonel Moirangthem Tamba alias Uttam was also one of the 12 terrorists. He was ambushed by the 6th Battalion The mastermind of the attack was Dogra in 2015,” the spokesperson said.

A mob of around 1500 people, led by women and local leaders, immediately surrounded the area and prevented the security forces from continuing the operation despite repeated appeals. The spokesman said that keeping in view the sensitivity of use of kinetic force against a large mob and the possibility of casualties due to such action, the officer on the spot took a considered decision to hand over all the 12 KYKL militants to local leaders.

Army and Assam Rifles personnel lifted the cordon and left the area with the recovered arms and ammunition. The mature decision on the part of the operational commander reflects the human face of the Indian Army, which is making all out efforts to avoid any casualty during the ongoing unrest in Manipur and refuses to let the situation escalate, the spokesperson said. does.

A defense statement said the Indian Army appeals to the people of Manipur to assist the security forces in maintaining law and order to bring peace and stability.