Senior police officers have been sent to Jiribam district to supervise the ongoing search for the kidnapped women and children by suspected Kuki terrorists. The last sighting of the missing was at a refugee camp after the terrorist attack on the Borobekra police station was foiled. Following a fight between terrorists and security authorities in Borobekra, six people—three women and three children—went missing.
To step up the hunt, local security forces are working with IG and DIG rank officers. Concerns have been voiced by Imphal Valley civil society organisations, who claim that the missing people were kidnapped by fleeing insurgents. As they searched for the missing, the authorities did not stop their probe. The All Assam Manipur Students’ Union (AAMSU) has denounced the kidnapping of six innocent citizens by terrorists in Manipur as a grave human rights violation and an attack on the safety of the local populace. The incident took place in Jiribam district’s Borobekra region on November 11, 2024, and resulted in the hostage-taking of six people, including an eight-month-old child.
Together, the Manipur State Commission for Women (MSCW) and the Manipur Commission for Protection of Child Rights (MCPCR) have denounced the November 11, 2024, kidnapping of six residents from Jiribam district, three of whom were women and three of whom were kids. Both panels have made several calls for the victims’ safe and prompt release, citing the humanitarian necessity of their liberation. The MCPCR, under the leadership of Chairperson Keisam Pradipkumar, issued a similar plea in which it denounced the attack as a breach of international humanitarian law, citing the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child. The commission also took note of the growing number of innocent people killed in conflicts.
The commission also observed that women and children from both the Kuki and Meitei groups were suffering in the prolonged war, contributing to the growing number of innocent deaths. “The abduction of innocent women and children is a grave violation of their fundamental rights and an affront to humanity,” Pradipkumar stated. “We urge all parties involved to release the hostages unconditionally and immediately.”
Meanwhile, because of the continuous ethnic violence in the area, the Union Government has reinstated the Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act (AFSPA) in Jiribam and six other Manipur police station areas. The ruling comes after a spike in violence between the Kuki-Zo and Meitei groups that began in May 2023 and has since caused more than 200 fatalities and extensive displacement.
The following regions have seen the reinstatement of AFSPA: Moirang in Bishnupur; Leimakhong in Kangpokpi; Jiribam in Jiribam district; Lamlai in Imphal East; and Sekmai and Lamsang in Imphal West. Violent incidents have increased in these areas; one such instance was a gunfight in Jiribam that resulted in the deaths of 11 terrorists and the kidnapping of six civilians. Six police station regions, including those currently impacted, were spared from the AFSPA order, which was first enforced throughout the state on October 1. The purpose of reimposing AFSPA in certain regions is to support security efforts in the face of growing instability.
