Imphal: Manipur government has so far failed to make Kuki militants set free two Meitei youths who have been held hostage even after the second round of talks initiated by a team of Manipur Police.
The 48 hours total shutdown imposed in Thoubal district in demand to rescue the two youths from Kuki hands have been declared to cover the entire Manipur.
Spearheaded by the Joint Action Committee formed in response to the disappearance of three youths imposed the shutdown at 3 am on Tuesday. The action committee declared to extend the shutdown in the entire Manipur as the government has failed to rescue.
Bandh supporters, including men and women, were seen blocking the highway throughout Thoubal district, Manipur.
Three boys — Thokchom Thoithoiba, Oinam Thoithoi and N. Johnson of Thoubal district fell in Kuki militants’ hand on Friday as they rode towards the Headquarters 9 Sector Assam Rifles at New Keithelmanbi in Imphal West. Johnson was to take part in an SSC GD recruitment rally. They might have wrongly traced towards Keithelmanbi of Kankpokpi district through Google map, which is Kuki prone area.
Johnson was handed over to Manipur Police by the Assam Rifles on Saturday after being rescued from the militants.
Johnson said they had followed a route to Keithelmanbi using Google Maps but ended up at the wrong location. They were detained by Kuki women along the NH-2 (Imphal-Dimapur) highway near Gamgiphai during a checkpoint and were reportedly handed over to Kuki militants after being blindfolded.
For the safe release of the two youths, a team, led by the Director General of Police, Manipur, held talks with some Civil Society Organizations from Kangpokpi district on Monday. A second round of talks was reportedly held on Tuesday in Kangpokpi district, but no fruitful progress was made, a source said.
On Saturday night, a video of the two hostages surfaced on social media. They appealed to chief minister N. Biren Singh to save their lives and to meet the demands made in exchange for their release.
Biren informed reporters in Imphal on Monday that the Kuki militants had made a list of demands, including the transfer of some Kuki inmates from Sajiwa Central Jail to Churachandpur district (a Kuki-dominated area) in exchange of the two hostages.
He assured the public that the government would do everything possible to ensure the safe return of the hostages and urged people not to create tension in the state.
Nineteen organisations have pressed the government to effort to let the ‘Kuki terrorists’ set free the youths safe. They demanded to punish those involved in the ‘act of terrorism’.
All Manipur Meitei Pangal Clubs’ Organisation, a Muslim body, on Thursday condemned the Kuki militants’ actions in demanding concessions from the government by holding civilian hostage.
Former Manipur chief minister and Congress leader Okram Ibobi on Monday suggested that if the state government intervenes with the central government and if Assam Rifles warns the militants to release the duo, the issue could be resolved. He noted that central paramilitary forces are deployed in Manipur to assist the state government in maintaining law and order.
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