Manipur CM urges Army to trace Meitei man missing for 5 days

Imphal, Nov 29 (IANS) Manipur Chief Minister N. Biren Singh on Friday urged the Army to undertake all out efforts to locate and rescue the 56-year-old Meitei community man who has been missing since November 25 from Kangpokpi district.

The Chief Minister asked the Army to take responsibility to find out Laishram Kamalbabu Singh, 56, who was reportedly missing in and around from the 57th Mountain Division Army campus at Leimakhong in Kangpokpi district.

"MLA Dingo Singh fom Sekmai along with the members of Joint Action Committee (JAC) met me and discussed the missing of Kamalbabu Singh. They also submitted a memorandum addressed to the Prime Minister demanding immediate rescue of the missing person,” Biren Singh told the media.

The government has requested the army and the Ministry of Home Affairs to trace Kamalbabu Singh at the earliest, the Chief Minister said, adding that an FIR has been registered with the Sekmai Police Station in this regard.

Kamalbabu Singh, a resident of Gossaipur under Cachar district in southern Assam and now staying at Loitang Khunou village in Imphal West district, left his residence on November 25 to go to the Leimakhong military station in Kangpokpi.

He has been working as a supervisor for a contractor working with Military Engineering Services (MES) at the Leimakhong Military Station.

The Chief Minister claimed that there is evidence that Kamalbabu Singh signed the register when he entered the campus.

"Since Kamalbabu Singh disappeared from the army compound, the army has the major responsibility to locate him," the chief minister claimed.

Defence sources said that the Indian Army along with Manipur Police personnel continued their intense search operation for the fifth day on Thursday to locate and rescue the missing Meitei community man even as tension mounted in Imphal West district, which borders the mountainous Kangpokpi district.

The Defence spokesperson said that regular meetings have been held with village heads and community elders to further strengthen the search by gathering information and seeking assistance.

The Army continues to provide full support to the police authorities in the ongoing investigation, reaffirming its commitment to the safety and security of the individual, a Defence release said.

The Defence PRO said that on receiving the information about the missing person, the army sprung into action, immediately activating all its resources.

CCTV feeds have been scanned, his co-workers were being spoken to, and an intense search operation, including sniffer dogs, has been launched.

An official in Imphal said that Imphal West and Kangpokpi District Police along with Army teams under the personal supervision of GOC 57 Mountain Division are involved in the search operation.

The Joint Action Committee (JAC) formed after Laishram Kamalbabu Singh went missing, has been agitating, including holding of sit-in protest at Kanto Sabal in Imphal West district.

The protesters demanded the safe release or rescue of Singh at the earliest.

Leimakhong military station, located 16 km away from the capital Imphal, is surrounded by Kuki-Zo tribal-dominated areas.

After the ethnic violence broke out in Manipur in May last year, people belonging to the Meitei community fled the areas near Leimakhong village.

--IANS

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