Manipur: Three bodies suspected to be of missing civilians found in Jiribam

On November 12 six civilians were reported missing since the encounter that broke out between security forces and insurgents in the state's Jiribam district.

Three bodies suspected to be of six persons missing from Jiribam district were found near the confluence of Jiri river and Barak river along Manipur-Assam border, officials said on Saturday. The bodies of a woman and two children were found around 16 km from Borobekra in Jiribam district on Friday night from where the six persons went missing on Monday, officials in Jiribam district said.

The bodies are yet to be identified but it is suspected that the three bodies were of those of the six persons who went missing.

The unidentified bodies were brought to Assam's Silchar Medical College Hospital (SMCH) on Friday night and kept at the hospital's morgue for postmortem. An official said that it is yet to be confirmed that the bodies are that of the missing persons.

He said that they are waiting for the postmortem to be conducted and have collected the photographs for identification. Autopsies of bodies found in Imphal's Jiribam are done in Assam's Silchar Medical College Hospital due to lack of infrastructural facilities in the town. Manipur Chief Minister N Biren Singh held a meeting with senior ministers on Friday night to discuss the situation after the news of the recovery of the bodies, officials said.

Meanwhile, as news of the recovery of three bodies spread across Imphal Valley, tension rose in all five districts with state authorities declaring a holiday for schools and colleges on Saturday.

The Manipur Police on Tuesday (November 12) informed that their search is ongoing to trace six civilians who have been reported missing since the encounter that broke out between security forces and insurgents in the state's Jiribam district 

(With agency inputs)