Guwahati: Manipur police on Tuesday arrested two suspected cadres of Kuki Revolutionary Army (Unification), a Kuki insurgent group for their alleged involvement in the abduction of two Meitei teenagers on November 5.
The KRA (U), however, rejected the allegation about involvement of its members in the case and said that the charges are "intentional to malign the image of the organization."
Police said the duo were remanded to police custody as they are "highly suspected to be involved in the crime." Combing operations are underway to arrest some others who are also involved in the abduction, police furthed said.
The arrests were made amid growing protest in the Meitei-dominated Imphal Valley for tracing out the two Meitei teenagers, Avinash Maibam (16) and Anthony Ningthoujam (19), who went missing on Sunday. The two had gone to Sekmai area in Imphal West on a two-wheeler before they went missing. Their mobile phones of the two were found in Senapati district.
Organisations representing the Meiteis suspect that the duo had been abducted by Kuki insurgents. Avinash is a class X student of Don Bosco school at Langjing in Imphal West. The students of the school staged a protest on Tuesday morning urging the state government to trace them out.
Abducted Kukis:
Police, however, is yet to find out the four Kuki persons, who were "taken away" by a mob of Meiteis in Kangpokpi district on Tuesday. At least 10 persons including two policemen were injured in firing between the security forces and "armed miscreants" in Imphal West district, where the mob had allegedly abducted the four Kukis including two women. One Kuki man was recovered with injuries, police said on Tuesday night.
More than 180 people have been killed and over 60,000 others have been displaced due to the violence between the Meiteis and the Kukis in Manipur since May. The sporadic violence has continued despite the presence of a large number of central security forces including the army.
Published 08 November 2023, 06:26 IST