Impal/Aizawl
Tension remained high in Manipur Valley on Saturday following the discovery of three bodies in the violence-affected Jiribam district. Authorities have not yet confirmed if the bodies belong to any of the six individuals missing since the November 11 encounter. Security was tightened, with a large deployment of state and Central forces across the valley, where the majority Meitei community resides. Many schools, shops, and businesses closed due to concerns of unrest.
CM N. Biren Singh convened an urgent meeting with senior ministers late Friday night to address the situation. The bodies, discovered near a river on Friday evening, were sent for post-mortem at Silchar Medical College and Hospital. The missing individuals, including an elderly woman and her family, had been living in a relief camp after violence erupted in the Jiribam area in June.
The Meitei community has claimed that these six individuals were kidnapped by militants during a clash with the CRPF, which led to the deaths of 10 suspected militants. However, tribal groups argue that the deceased were not militants but volunteers protecting their villages.
Meanwhile, in Mizoram, hundreds participated in a candlelight march to mourn the deaths of 10 people from the Hmar tribal community, killed in Jiribam. Protesters criticized both the state and central governments for failing to prevent the violence.
