Indian Army troops in Manipur. (Photo via Facebook)
New Delhi/Kohima: A mob of over 1,200 women interrupted an Indian Army operation against militants in Manipur’s Kamjong district and freed 12 militants belonging to the banned terrorist group Kanglei Yawol Kanna Lup from the soldiers’ custody. The freed militants include the alleged mastermind behind the deadly 2015 ambush on an Army convoy in the state’s Chandel district that killed around 20 soldiers from 6 Dogra Regiment.
The incident at Itham village, which is at an aerial distance of six kilometres from the Andro town in East Imphal district, took place on Friday after the Army launched an operation in the morning following intelligent reports that armed militants were hiding in the village. In the operation, the Army apprehended 12 militants and recovered a large quantity of arms, ammunition, and other battle equipment, the Kohima-based defence PRO, Lieutenant Colonel Amit Shukla apprised reporters in a statement.
The statement further said self-styled Lt Col Moirangthem Tamba alias Uttam of the KYKL was positively identified among the apprehended 12 militants. Uttam is a wanted terrorist who is believed to have planned and executed the 2015 ambush on the 6 Dogra convoy.
According to the PRO, the mob comprising about 1,200 to 1,500 women surrounded the area and stopped the soldiers from continuing with the operation. The soldiers’ repeated appeals to the aggressive mob, in accordance with the law, fell on deaf ears.
Thereafter, the statement said, displaying the “humane face of the Indian Army”, the commander of the operation let go of the 12 men in order to prevent collateral damage and escalate the situation in the state reeling under ethnic violence.
About KYKL
The Kanglei Yawol Kanna Lup, which means “organization to save Manipur’s revolutionary movement”, is a Meitei terrorist outfit. It came into existence in January 1994 following merger of the Oken faction of the United National Liberation Front (UNLF), the Meiraba faction of People’s Revolutionary Party of Kangleipak (PREPAK) and the Ibo Pishak faction of the Kangleipak Communist Party.
The group’s main areas of operation are the four valley districts of the state – Imphal East, Bishnupur, Thoubal, and Imphal West.
It is an ally of several militant outfits operating in the northeast. This includes the Naga militant outfit National Socialist Council of Nagaland (Isak-Muivah) or NSCN(I-M). The group is believed to have bases across the border in Myanmar, like other militant groups active in the northeast.
The group’s main sources of funding are extortion, ransom, and smuggling, including drugs.
