Army officer kidnapped in Manipur, fourth incident since clashes began
What's the story
An army officer was abducted on Friday from his home in Manipur, marking the fourth such incident since ethnic violence erupted in the northeastern state in May last year.
Unidentified individuals kidnapped Junior Commissioned Officer (JCO) Konsam Kheda Singh at 9:00am and fled in a vehicle.
Security agencies have initiated a coordinated search operation since and have been checking all vehicles running on National Highway 102.
"We don't know why he has been kidnapped," authorities said in the aftermath.
Context
Why does this story matter?
This kidnapping is part of a larger pattern of attacks on soldiers and their families in the conflict region.
Both the Indian Army and paramilitary force Assam Rifles—deployed in Manipur to assist civil administration—have been caught in the midst of ethnic clashes and have repeatedly battled violent resistance by locals.
Manipur has been embroiled in ethnic clashes since the beginning of May last year, which has left at least 200 dead, and over 50,000 people displaced from their homes.
Previous kidnappings
Previous kidnappings and attacks
In September, former Assam Regiment soldier Serto Thangthang Kom was abducted and killed by an unknown armed group while on leave.
In another incident in November, four family members of an Indian Army soldier were kidnapped and killed en route from Churachandpur to Leimakhong.
The soldier's injured father managed to escape and is now recovering at Leimakhong Military Hospital.
In the most recent case, a senior police official was abducted by a group affiliated with the Meitei tribe in Imphal.
AFSPA
Police hints at reimposing AFSPA
In the afteramth, police have subtly hinted that these incidents could lead to the reinstatement of the Armed Forces (Special) Powers Act (AFSPA).
A security establishment source stated, "The security forces toiling day and night for early restoration of peace and normalcy are being targeted for performing their duty."
They underscored that the attacks by the inimical elements on security forces and their families need to be strongly condemned and perpetrators caught and punished as per the law.
Kiren Rijiju
Negotiation are the only way to resolve this: Kiren Rijiju
The kidnapping comes a day after Union Earth Sciences Minister Kiren Rijiju stressed that peaceful negotiations were the only way to resolve the clashes.
Rijiju added that returning Manipur to normalcy will be the next phase of efforts by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) at the Centre.
He said the conflict isn't a rebellion against the government but a clash between the Meitei and Kuki-Zo tribal communities. Rijiju slammed the opposition for raking up the issue for no reason.