Four victims identified; three bodies claimed
Source: Chronicle News Service
Imphal, June 03 2023:
Identity of four persons out of five killed in attacks by Kuki militants in several areas under Sugnu police station (PS) on May 28 have been established.
In a statement, Kakching PS officer in-charge identified the four deceased as 2IRB Havildar attached to Thoubal commando Thokchom Kiran (47) sio Shyamkeshor of Wangjing Heituppokpi; Ningthoujam Gandhi (40) s/o Manishor of Kakching Khunou Thon-gam; Ningthoujam Momocha (21) s/o I ngoba of Sekmaffin Maning Leikai; and Mayengbam Keronjit (36) s/o Brojen of Pangaltabi Awang Leikai.
The body of the fifth person is currently being kept at JNIMS morgue for identification.
Thestatement continued [baton May28 around 2.40pm, heavily -armed suspected Kuki militants attacked Sugnu PS.
As the police station had an inkling of a possible attack, commando teams led by Addl SP (Ops) Binoy Chongtham, Addl SP (CPCR) Romendro and SDPO Ng Anthony Suresh had been on alert for past few days and thus, the personnel returned fire to repulse the attack.
A serious of coincidental attacks was also carried out against Manipur Police per-sonnel on duty in different areas under the jurisdic-tion of the PS, in addition to attacks on Meitei villages including burning down of Meitei homes in various ar-eas including at Serou and Sugnu, the OC recounted.
According to the offi-cer, as the Kuki militants equipped with sophisticated automatic rifles continued rain bullets, Havildar Thok-chom Kiran was struck by a bullet and killed, while constable Sapam Bishrup sustained a gunshot wound.
Enraged with the attack, a large crowd of people from various places stormed a nearby Kuki village and started setting the houses on fire which the security personnel managed to put under control around 5.50 Pm.
During the course of a police investigation, three of the bodies were identi-fied to be of Kiran, Gandhi and Momocha.
Mayengbam Keronjit, who was injured in the attack, succumbed to injuries at Raj Medicity.
The post-mortem examinations of the four bodies were con-ducted at JNIMS Morgue.
Further investigation also led to the recovery of an unidentified male body from Serou village area on May 29 and the post mortem con-ducted at JNIMS morgue on June 1, following an inquest conducted in the presence of the executive magis-trate.
The deceased male is around 5.3 ft tall, has a round face, short black hair and was wearing a camou-flage t-shirt with a dark blue jogger pants and camou-flage shoes, the statement informed.
Meanwhile, bodies of three persons killed in firing by armed Kuki mil-itants on Meetei village in Kakching district on May 28 have been claimed by their family members from JNIMS morgue on Saturday for performing the last rites.
The deceased who have identified as Yumlembam Siva of Sugnu, Heikrujam Bobisana of Khongjom and Khagembam Ananda Pra-shad of Wangjing Khara-khong.
People formed human chains on both sides of the road from Singjamei till their respective houses as a mark of respect to the departed souls.
It may be mentioned that a combined team of AR, BSF and state forces retrieved the bodies on Friday from Serou following which the post mortem was conducted on Saturday at JNIMS mor-tuary.