KYKL 12 cadres confined, later released stormed by women mob

Imphal: Security forces in troubled Manipur’s Imphal East district had to release at least 12 arrested Kanglei Yawol Kanna Lup (KYKL) militants after a strong mob led by women surrounded the forces and killed them. Saturday night was stopped from proceeding. said the official.
KYKL, a Meitei militant group in Manipur, was involved in several attacks, including the 2015 ambush on 6 Dogra units, the official said.
According to a defense spokesperson, after midnight on Saturday, the army and Assam Rifles, acting on specific intelligence inputs, launched an operation in Itham village of Imphal East district and before the actual search began to avoid inconveniencing the locals. The area was cordoned off.
“The operation resulted in the arrest of 12 KYKL cadres along with arms and ammunition. Self-proclaimed Lt. Col. Moirangthem Tamba alias Uttam was among the 12 militants. He was the mastermind behind the 2015 attack on the 6th battalion of DOGRA. ” said the spokesperson.
A mob of about 1,500 people, led by women and local leaders, immediately surrounded the area and prevented the security forces from continuing the operation despite repeated appeals.

“Repeated appeals to the aggressive mob to allow the security forces to continue operations in accordance with the law did not yield any positive results,” the official said.
Keeping in mind the sensitivity of using kinetic force against a large agitated mob and the casualty caused by such action, the officer on the ground decided to hand over all the 12 KYKL militants to local leaders. Made a thoughtful decision.

Troops of the Army and Assam Rifles lifted the siege and left the area with recovered arms and ammunition.
More than 100 people have lost their lives so far in ethnic violence between Meitei and Kuki communities in Manipur.

Clashes first erupted on May 3 when a ‘Tribal Solidarity March’ was organized to protest against the demand for Scheduled Tribe (ST) status by the Meitei community in the hill districts.
The Meiteis constitute about 53% of Manipur’s population and live mostly in the Imphal Valley. The tribals – Nagas and Kukis – constitute another 40 percent of the population and live in the hilly districts.