May 01, 2024 07:04 AM IST
An army convoy that was ferrying 11 members of Arambai Tenggol was stopped near Imphal by a large group of women protesters, who managed to free the nabbed men from the army’s custody
An army convoy that was ferrying 11 members of Arambai Tenggol — the radical valley-based Meitei outfit — who were caught with a large cache of arms and ammunition, was stopped near Imphal by a large group of women protesters, who managed to free the nabbed men from the army’s custody, people familiar with the matter said.
Though Manipur Police confirmed the incident, it did not reveal the identity of the 11 miscreants or those who helped set them free. The police, however, confirmed that the army’s Mahar regiment had caught 11 “armed miscreants dressed in police fatigues” and were returning after the operation when the women protesters freed the 11 men. The army had recovered three AK series rifles, five INSAS, two SLRs, two hand grenades and bullet proof jackets from the armed men.
HT launches Crick-it, a one stop destination to catch Cricket, anytime, anywhere. Explore now!
Officials in the security forces said the Mahar Column had detained the 11 Arambai Tenggol militants along with weapons and had reached Kumbi near Imphal in the morning, when the column was stopped by Meira Paibis (women protesters). When the women protesters also tried to snatch the weapons, the army personnel fired multiple rounds in the air to disperse the protesters.
“The women protesters parked vehicles on the road to block the convoy. Later, they also came on to the road and refused to let the convoy pass through. There were men behind the women. It was a planned blockade in Kumbi. But the army column managed to keep the weapons safe. The weapons could not be snatched,” said an official.
Arambai Tenggol is a radical valley-based Meitei outfit that has been accused of orchestrating violence by Kuki groups. The Manipur Police has accused it of committing “many anti-social activities and criminal activities”.
Manipur police in a statement on Tuesday night, however, denied reports that the “11 armed miscreants” were behind the killing of the 2 CRPF personnel on April 27.
To be sure, this is not the first time that women protesters from either warring communities — Meiteis and Kukis — disrupted operations and stopped their convoy. In February thie year, when a senior police officer was abducted from outside his house, the Arambai Tenggol militants were supported by women protesters.
In June last year, the army had said that women activists in Manipur were deliberately blocking routes and interfering in operations of security forces. The army had also released a 2.12-minute-long video, a collage of different operations, in which women protesters allegedly disrupted the security force’s operations.
