Kamalbabu Case: Minister Dingo slams Army
Source: Chronicle News Service

Imphal, December 06 2024: Skill, labour, employment, and entrepreneurship (SLEE) minister Heikham Dingo has demanded complete accountability from the Indian Army for the disappearance of Laishram Kamalbabu.

Dingo emphasised that as Kamalbabu vanished from within the army camp, it is the Army 's responsibility to ensure full accountability for the incident.

Kamalbabu, a resident of Khurkhul in Imphal West, went missing from the Leimakhong military station on November 25 .

Speaking to the media on the sidelines of the launch event of the first session of the newly established ITI, Sekmai on Friday, Dingo said that military camps are supposed to be secure, but the incident that occurred inside the military camp is both unfortunate and suspicious.

The Army authorities should be held responsible for the incident as he went missing from such a secured location, Dingo stated, while informing that all necessary documents related to Kamalbabu's disappearance had been forwarded to the Prime Minister's Office (PMO), the defence minister's office, and the home minister's office.

Kamalbabu, originally from Assam's Cachar district, had been working as a supervisor for a contractor under the Military Engineering Services (MES) at the Leimakhong military station.

On November 25, he visited the military camp in relation to his work, but he was never seen exiting.

CCTV footage and logs from the camp gates show Kamalbabu entering the premises but there is no record of his exit.

The mystery surrounding his disappearance has raised serious concerns about security at the camp, he said.

Meanwhile, during the launch event of the ITI Sekmai, Dingo also highlighted the growing importance of skill development training for the youth in the state.

He pointed out that skill-based education is crucial to equipping young people with job-oriented and entrepreneurial skills, particularly as Manipur lags behind in the industrial sector.

Dingo encouraged the trainees to aim for entrepreneurship after completing their courses at the institute, as it would not only make them financially independent but also contribute to the economic growth of the state.

He urged officials within the department to work diligently and play a key role in the growth of the industrial sector.

The launch event was attended by joint director of craftsmen training Yaiphaba Longjam, ITI Sekmai principal Th Premchandra, and Khurkhul GP caretaker chairperson Irungbam Shanta, among others.

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