Imphal, Dec 7: As at least 2,000 soldiers of the Army and Assam Rifles continued their hectic search operation to locate the 56-year-old man from the Meitei community, Joint Action Committee (JAC) and the Meira Paibis have sought the intervention of the Defence Minister and Assam Chief Minister to rescue the man who has remained untraced for nearly two weeks.
The influential Meira Paibis (women vigilantes in Manipur) and the JAC, who are continuing their agitations separately in protest against the abduction of Laishram Kamalbabu Singh, who has been missing since November 25.
The JAC leaders, who on Friday met Chief Minister N. Biren Singh and discussed the abduction of Kamalbabu Singh, on Saturday told the media that they are also seeking the intervention of Defence Minister Rajnath Singh to ask the Army officials in Manipur to intensify the search operation to locate the missing person.
Meira Paibis leaders said that as Kamalbabu Singh is a resident of Assam, and state Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma must talk to all concerned to rescue him. Kamalbabu Singh, a resident of Gossaipur under Cachar district in southern Assam, who was staying at Loitang Khunou village in Imphal West district, left his residence on November 25 for the Leimakhong military station, where he was working as a supervisor for a contractor working with the Military Engineering Services (MES), but went missing.
Defence sources said that the Army has deployed over 2,000 soldiers including Assam Rifles personnel and is conducting hectic searches in Kangpokpi and adjoining districts to locate Laishram Kamalbabu Singh.
The Army as part of their search operation deployed tracker dogs, drones and other devices. According to a defence spokesman, the Army officials are constantly interacting with village heads and community elders to gather information to further intensify the search operation.
The CCTV feeds have been scanned, Singh’s co-workers were being spoken to, and an intense search operation, including with the aid of sniffer dogs, has been launched, he said. The Manipur High Court has earlier this week constituted a four-member committee to conduct an enquiry in connection with the missing man.
A Home Department official said that the Division Bench of the High Court comprising Chief Justice D. Krishnakumar and Justice Golmei Gaiphulshillu Kabui heard the petition filed by the brother of the missing person and constituted the committee headed by the District Magistrate of Kangpokpi.
The other members of the committee include Superintendent of Police of Kangpokpi and Imphal West Districts and the Commanding Officer of the 57 Mountain Division, Signal Regiment. Chief Minister N. Biren Singh earlier urged the Army to undertake all-out efforts to locate and rescue Kamalbabu Singh and take responsibility for finding the missing person.
Leimakhong military station, located 16 km away from the capital Imphal, is surrounded by Kuki-Zo-Hmar tribal-dominated areas. After ethnic violence broke out in Manipur in May last year, people belonging to the Meitei community fled the areas near Leimakhong village. IANS