Blast from the past : Flashbacks on Namthilok & Oinam bloodbaths
Source: Hueiyen News Service / Iboyaima Laithangbam

Imphal, June 05 2015 : After the Chandel ambuscade memories of similar bloodbaths come crowding into my mind.

Two most prominent incidents happen to be that of Namthilok and Oinam for indisputable reasons.

It was a foggy Winter morning on February 19, 1982 that 89 personnel of 21 Sikh Regiment garrisoned in the Ukhrul town were going to another location in three trucks.

While the trucks loaded with service guns and personal effects including camp materials of the troopers were crawling along the numerous dog bends in the high mountain graveled road some insurgents armed with automatic rifles materialized blocking the front truck.

The two trailing trucks halted bumper to bumper behind it making a perfect target of the snipers.

In the fusillade of fire of the automatic rifles most of the troopers were killed.

Armed with machetes some insurgents jumped over the trucks from the escarpments to hack the injured and lurking troopers.

This was the highest casualty in the insurgency afflicted Manipur.

More daunting incident took place at the Oinam village in Senapati district in July 1987.Assam Rifles camp located near the highway had transported AK series rifles, other guns, ammunition, explosives and military equipments to the small camp at Oinam.

Insurgents who have eyes and ears everywhere ambushed the trucks.

After killing 9 soldiers and overrunning the camp they escaped with the biggest haul of arsenal in any insurgency hit country in the world.

The angry officers conducted the recovery operations on the assumption that the insurgents could not have done anything of this sort without logistical support and cooperation from the villagers who are always sandwiched by the insurgents and the authority.

On learning that inhuman excesses were committed on the villagers some journalists went there.

Late Gopal Sharma and I were the senior most journalists.

On the way we were stopped by the troopers who whisked away our local guide.

We were told to go back which was nothing surprising since even police, other officials and elected members were out of bounds there.

One report in now defunct Manipur News English newspaper had the screaming headline "Martial law imposed at Oinam village of Senapati" .

At short distances some captains were on the hilly road to make sure that we were leaving towards the highway.

It was alreay pitched dark in the mountain and the jeep driver had night blindness.

Our request to allow us to halt on the way till dawn since the bridle path had many narrow sharp turns whose corners were underpinned by some loose branches was turned down by the haughty officers saying that order is that we must leave the area.

When we eventually reached a small roadside hotel for sleeping for the night we heaved a sigh of relief and Gopal and myself exchanged our fears which had troubled us all the way.

Reports later said that 15 villagers were killed during operations.

Women were forced to stand in the field day in day out and some of the had to give birth to babies in the field.

Will history be repeated? .

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