Amid ‘abduction’ of 2 Meitei youths, Manipur CM meets all state MLAs
Even as the situation in strife-torn Manipur remained tense amid a shutdown call given by Kuki groups on September 28, Chief Minister N Biren Singh on Sunday held a meeting with ruling and Opposition MLAs regarding the reported abduction of two Meitei youths, which he alleged was the handiwork of Kuki militants.
In a post on X, Singh said that he "held a meeting with all MLAs from both the ruling and Opposition parties and addressed the situation in the state, especially focussing on the rescue of the two abducted innocent youths by Kuki militants".
"We condemn such heinous acts and our government is working to secure the safe release of the victims," he said further in the post.
According to local media reports, three Meitei youths on Saturday had gone to West Imphal district to attend a SSC recruitment test, but were reportedly abducted.
Reports further said that while one of them was handed over by the Army to Imphal West police after being reportedly rescued, the other two youths were still missing.
Even a video, whose veracity could not be authenticated, is going viral on social media showing two "abducted" youths seeking the Chief Minister's help.
Though there is no clarity regarding whether the three youths were actually abducted, and with one of them in police custody, the Chief Minister's claim of them having been abducted by Kuki militants is likely to ignite the situation further in the state.
Even as there have not been any reports of killings in Manipur for the past couple of weeks after around nine persons were killed in drone bombing incidents at the beginning of this month, the situation in the state has remained tense with security forces on high alert.
On September 28, the day for which the Kuki groups had given a call for a total shutdown, a high-level meeting had taken place between top officials of the paramilitary forces, namely the BSF and CRPF, Assam Rifles, Manipur DGP and Chief Secretary, to review the situation in the state.
