Communal tensions simmer in India’s Manipur state, 13 abducted in one week
New Delhi: As many as 13 people were abducted in the violence-hit Manipur state of India just between May 8 and May 13.
According to Kashmir Media Service, Indian daily Hindustan Times while reporting the abductions said that the forces’ personnel told the newspaper that the actual number of those abducted may be even higher, as often families do not file police reports. Those abducted include residents as well as Indian forces’ personnel.
The Manipur Police have filed FIRs and arrested at least 10 people in these cases, the report said.
Of those arrested, two are members of the powerful Meitei militia group Arambai Tenggol, who were accused of abducting four policemen from the Chirstian-dominated Kangpokpi district in Imphal East.
The abductions took place more than a year after the Hindu-dominated Meitei community started unleashing violence against the Christian-majority Kuki community in the state on May 3, 2023.
While the intensity of violence may have come down, the state is virtually divided into two, with Meiteis and Kukis living completely segregated lives, another Indian daily The Indian Express reported. It highlighted that this division extends to the police as well.
According to Indian estimates, the anti-Christian violence has claimed around 225 lives in the last year, and at least 50,000 people are still displaced.
