Police recover dead bodies with bullet wounds in violence-hit Manipur, one was blindfolded with tied hands

Manipur violence: Two dead bodies including that of a woman were recovered by the police this week – one from Imphal East and the other from West district of Manipur.

In Tairenpokpi area of Imphal West district on November 8, the body of a middle-aged woman with a bullet wound on her head was found according to a police officer. The body was sent to the Regional Institute of Medical Sciences (RIMS), Imphal for post-mortem examination, the police officer said. 

Four people had recently gone missing after being "abducted by unidentified men" from Kangchup foothills in Imphal West district. A police officer said that the deceased woman is believed to be one of them.

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In Takhok Mapal Makha area of Imphal East district late on November 7 night, the body of a man in his forties was found, another police officer reported. He further added that the body of the unidentified man was retrieved by locals. The deceased man was found to be blindfolded with bullet wounds on his head and hands tied behind his back.

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For post-mortem examinations and identification, the body was sent to the Jawaharlal Nehru Institute of Medical Sciences in Imphal East. The officer said, "An FIR has been registered, and an investigation is on." 

A large group of people including women from Phayeng had earlier been alarmed over the presence of unknown persons from a different community. They had gone to Kangchup hillside to find out who had strayed into the Meitei area, according to eyewitness.

At least nine people, including two Manipur police personnel and a woman, sustained bullet injuries following rounds of firing by unidentified men at Kangchup foothills on November 7.

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Manipur government lifted the mobile internet ban on a trial basis in four hill district headquarters on November 7. The district headquarters of Ukhrul, Senapati, Chandel and Tamenglong are Naga-majority areas where the internet ban has been lifted following Manipur High Court orders. The court had issued orders to operationalise mobile towers in all those district headquarters that have not been affected by the ethnic clashes, reported PTI.

Over 180 people have been killed since ethnic clashes first broke out in May. Manipur has remained gripped by recurring bouts of violence ever since. Both sides had a number of grievances against the other that culminated into clashes with the main issue being a move to give Meiteis Scheduled Tribe status and an attempt to turf out tribals living in protected forest areas. The order to give Meiteis Scheduled Tribe status has been rolled back.

Tribals constituting mainly of Nagas and Kukis reside in the hill districts and account for about 40 per cent while Meiteis live mostly in the Imphal Valley and constitute 53 per cent of Manipur’s population. 

(With inputs from PTI)