Amid the ongoing ethnic conflict in Manipur, a serving Junior Commissioned Officer of the Indian Army, who was on Friday morning abducted from his home in Thoubal district was rescued the same evening after an hours-long search operation launched by security forces in the state, The Hindu has learnt.
A source said that the JCO, Naib Subedar Konsam Kheda Singh, of Thoubal’s Charangpat Mamang Leikai, was on leave and was abducted from his residence in a vehicle some time around 9 am on Friday, adding that the cause of the abduction is not yet known.
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Later the same evening, another source told The Hindu that the “synergised efforts” of security forces had resulted in the officer’s rescue sometime around 6:30 pm and that he was taken to the Waikhong police station near Kakching. The Manipur Police is said to have begun its investigation in this case.
The Indian Army through a spokesperson later said on X (formerly Twitter), “#IndianArmy rescued it’s JCO, Nb Sub Konsam Kheda Singh, of Charangpat Mamang Leikai, Thoubal, #Manipur, abducted this morning, while on leave. @manipur_police is investigating the case.” This statement came from the Official account of the Public Relations Officer (PRO) & Spokesperson, Ministry of Defence, Nagaland, Manipur & Southern Arunachal Pradesh.
This is the fourth instance of soldiers either on leave or on duty or their relatives being targetted since the ethnic conflict began in the State last May between the dominant valley-based Meitei people and the hills-based Scheduled Tribe Kuki-Zo people.
“The security forces working to bring peace and normalcy are being targeted for performing their duties,” one source said.
Ever since the conflict, Army personnel posted for duty in the State have been met with resistance from civilian groups like the Meira Paibi (women’s group of the Meitei community), while personnel of the Manipur Police have been resisted by the Kuki-Zo people of the state.
Throughout last year, the Kuki-Zo people have insisted on removing Manpur Police personnel from areas like Moreh, which are dominated by their people, accusing it of taking the side of the Meitei community in the conflict. Meanwhile, there have also been instances where Army personnel - specifically from units of the Assam Rifles - were routinely stopped from going into areas of conflict by women of the Meitei community - Meira Paibis’; and of instances when the women were seen checking the Army personnel’s IDs to identify their ethnicity.
Days ago, an Additional Superintendent of Police of the Manipur Police had been attacked in his Imphal home on February 27 by members of the radical armed Meitei group Arambai Tenggol (AT). The incident had led to Manipur Police staging an arms-down protest seeking a free hand to deal with outfits like AT.
In November last year, five members of an Indian Army soldier’s family were kidnapped while they were travelling from Churachandpur to Leimakhong by an unidentified armed group, which killed four of the members.
And in September 2023, a former Assam Regiment soldier Serto Thangthang Kom, posted in Leimakhong with the Defence Service Corps (DSC), was kidnapped and killed by an unidentified armed group.
Since May 3 last year, at least 219 people have been killed, thousands of others injured and tens of thousands internally displaced and living in relief camps as a direct result of the conflict.
