Autopsies of five bodies of six missing persons from Manipur done; ‘latest’ found floating in Assam – Times of India

SILCHAR: The post-mortem examination of five bodies of the six missing people from Manipur’s Jiribam district has been completed at a government hospital in Assam’s Silchar town, officials said on Monday. Another body of a woman, believed to be that of the sixth missing person, was found floating in the Barak river in Assam’s Cachar district, which borders Jiribam.
Six people – three women and three children – are among the Meitei community had gone missing from a relief camp in Jiribam following a firefight between security forces and suspected Kuki-Zo militants that left 10 insurgents dead on November 11.
Six bodies have been found in the Jiri River in Jiribam and the Barak River in Cachar in recent days. All of them were taken to Silchar Medical College and Hospital (SMCH) in a “highly decomposed state” for conducting autopsy.
“The post-mortem examination of all five bodies has been done at SMCH. The doctors concerned are in the process of preparing the report,” a source aware of the development told PTI.
He said Manipur Police will now make arrangements to return the bodies to their state and hand over the remains to the respective families, but when this will happen is not yet known.
A senior official of Assam police station said another body of a woman was found floating in Barak river in Singerbond area of ​​Lakhipur police station.
“It is believed to be the last of the six missing people. Manipur police can confirm this after verifying her identity. The remains have been sent to SMCH for post-mortem examination,” he said.
“Manipur police have told us that these six people were most likely killed and thrown into the river. Two bodies, which came floating from Jiribam, were fished out yesterday,” the officer added.
Initially, the bodies of a woman and two children were found floating in the Jiri River in Jiribam and taken to SMCH on Friday.
The bodies of a woman and a child were found floating in the Barak River on Sunday morning.
The six missing persons were identified as Yumrembam Rani Devi (60), Telem Thoibi Devi (31) and her daughter Telem Thajamanbi Devi (8), Laishram Heithoibi Devi (25) and her two children Laishram Chingkheinganba Singh (two-and-one- half year old) and Laishram Lamnganba Singh (10 months).
Meanwhile, hundreds of Meitei men and women gathered in front of the statue of freedom fighter Khudiram Bose in Silchar on Sunday evening and held a candlelight protest against the kidnapping and suspected murder of the six persons.
Ethnically diverse Jiribam, which was largely unaffected by clashes in the Imphal Valley and adjoining hills, witnessed violence after the mutilated body of a farmer was found in a field in June this year.
Since May last year, more than 220 people have been killed and thousands left homeless by ethnic violence between Meiteis in the Imphal Valley and neighboring Kuki-Zo groups in the hills.
It started after a ‘Tribal Solidarity March’ was organized in the hill districts to protest against the Meitei community’s demand for Scheduled Tribe (ST) status.
Meiteis constitute about 53 percent of Manipur’s population and mainly live in the Imphal Valley. The tribes – Nagas and Kukis – constitute just over 40 percent and live in the hill districts.