Tensions erupt in Manipur after 55-year-old Meitei man goes missing

Tensions escalated in Imphal West after a 55-year-old Metei man went missing on Monday amid the ongoing violence in Manipur.
The man, identified as Laishram Kamalbabu Singh from Loitang Khunou in Imphal West, had gone for work at Leimakhong Army Camp in Kangpokpi on Monday (November 26) afternoon, and has been missing since then. His family members said that his phone was switched off at around 2 pm on Monday.
Police said that a joint search operation by the police and the central forces is underway for him.

Singh did menial jobs at the Leimakhong Army Camp, located 16 km away from Imphal and surrounded by Kuki-dominated areas, news agency PTI reported.
Notably, Leimakhong is an adjoining area between Kuki-dominated Kangpokpi district and Meitei-dominated Imphal West district.
Tensions rose early this morning as several women staged roadblocks, demanding information about Singh’s whereabouts.
Recently, fresh protests erupted in the Valley districts on November 17 against the killing of six Metei people, whose bodies were found in Jiribam after they were kidnapped allegedly by militants.
The latest bout of violence in Manipur was triggered by the killing of a woman from the Hmar community, who was set on fire at her home at Zairawn in Jiribam district, on November 7.
At least 16 separate incidents of violence have been reported in the state between October 1 and November 18.
More than 200 people have been killed and thousands rendered homeless in ethnic clashes between Imphal Valley-based Meiteis and the hills-based Kuki-Zo groups in the northeastern state since May 3, 2023.