A two-judge bench of the Manipur High Court, comprising Justices D Krishnakumar and Golmei Gaiphulshillu heard the petition filed by brother of Kamal Babu on Tuesday.
The first hearing took place on November 27 where the Court issued notices to all the parties. With respondents failing to reply,the Manipur High Court constituted a committee consisting of the Kangpokpi’s District Magistrate (DM) and Superintendent of Police (SP), SP of Imphal West and the Chief Security Officer (CSO) of the Army’s 57 Mountain Division, who would be Colonel rank officers.
The High Court directed the committee to probe whether the man had been kidnapped in the Army camp or fled on his own. “The District Magistrate, being head of the committee, shall serve notice to the petitioner or family members of the petitioner to appear before the committee for enquiry and the enquiry report will be filed before the High Court on the next hearing on December 11″, stated the High Court.
The petitioner claimed that he was kidnapped by Kuki militants from the high-security zone of the Leimakhong Army campus.
Over 2000 troops are searching for Kamal Babu. Manipur police has stated, “Massive joint search operations by Manipur Police assisted by Indian Army are being undertaken with effect from 25.11.2024 to trace Laishram Kamal Babu Singh who has been missing since 25.11.2024. Indian Army has extended all support and resources to trace him utilising 2000 plus troops, helicopters, drones and Army tracker dogs. Further investigation using technical intelligence is being undertaken”.Manipur Chief Minister N Biren Singh recently asked the army authorities based at Leimakhong army camp to take major responsibility in finding one Laishram Kamalbabu Singh who allegedly disappeared from the 57 Mountain Division campus in Kangpokpi district.Singh told reporters “Even as the issue of the killing of three women and three children in Jiribam has not subsided, another issue has risen concerning the disappearance of 56-year-old Kamalbabu Singh from the compound of Leimakhong Army camp of 57th Mountain Division.”
Singh, a resident of Cachar district in southern Assam and now staying at Loitang Khunou village in Imphal West, left his residence on November 25 to go to the Leimakhong military station where he works but did not report to the Army station in Kangpokpi.
Singh’s mobile phone has also been switched off since he left home. He has been working as a works supervisor for a contractor working with Military Engineering Services (MES) at the Leimakhong Military Station.
Mobs have gone on rampage after the recovery of the bodies of six missing women and children in the violence-hit Jiribam district recently.
Around 10 armed militants were killed in heavy exchange of fire in Manipur’s Jiribam district recently. Two CRPF jawans also suffered injuries. Kuki organisations claimed that those killed were village volunteers and not militants.
Kuldiep Singh security advisor recently said that till now 258 people have been killed including militants since May 3 last year.
Passenger service
The Manipur government’s attempt to resume inter-district public transport services evoked lukewarm response from passengers on Wednesday, with direct buses from Imphal to Churachandpur and Kangpokpi in the hills finding no takers.
Some passengers were seen waiting for the buses to take them to Bishnupur and Imphal West districts in the restive state. Kangpokpi and Churachandpur are Kuki-Zo-majority regions, while Imphal and Bishnupur are Meitei-dominated areas.
The state government on Tuesday appealed to the people to cooperate with the administration to this initiative and not to resort to violence.
Anybody without exemption, if involved in acts which disturb movement of vehicles, will be sternly dealt with and prosecuted as per relevant laws of the land,” a government order read. This is the administration’s second attempt to resume public transport.
The ethnic violence between the non-tribals Meiteis and tribal Kuki-Zo broke out in the northeastern state on May 3 last year after a ‘Tribal Solidarity March’ was organised in the hill districts to protest the Meitei community’s demand for Scheduled Tribe (ST) status.
