Manipur violence: Indian Army’s ‘plea for help’ after women-led mob forces release of 12 militants
In the midst of the Kuki-Meitei violence in Manipur, the Indian Army has released a video titled ‘Help up help Manipur’, talking about how a women-led mob forced them to release 12 militants.
The situation in Manipur has turned even tenser as the women in the state have now taken a front seat in the protests and the rebellion against the Indian Army, which is cracking down on the violence and the militants in the area.
The Indian Army posted an appeal on social media, where it asked all the citizens to help them “help Manipur” in the midst of the Kuki vs Meitei violence, as women took to the streets in Imphal East to force the Army into releasing 12 militants.
The Spear Corps of the Indian Army said in a tweet, “Women activists in Manipur are deliberately blocking routes and interfering in the operations of security forces. Such unwarranted interference is detrimental to the timely response by security forces during critical situations to save lives and property. The Indian Army appeals to all sections of the population to support our endeavors in restoring peace. Help us to help Manipur.”
The tweet came shortly after a mob of over 1500 people led by women cornered the Indian Army into releasing the 12 militants from the insurgent group Kanglei Yawol Kanna Lup (KYKL) in Imphal East, which had been detained earlier in the day.
The Indian Army issued reported pleas to the mob to disperse to no avail and eventually ended up releasing the arrested militants to maintain peace and avoid any violence. The officials cordoned off the area and confiscated all the weapons from the mob.
This is not the first time that the women of Manipur have taken matters into their own hands, as they also stopped a team of the CBI to travel to the Manipur Police Academy, where armory and several weapons were reported missing, seemingly stolen by militants involved in the communal violence in the state.