Imphal, Jan 22 (IANS) The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), the Meitei community’s apex body Coordinating Committee on Manipur Integrity (COCOMI), and several other organisations on Thursday strongly condemned the killing of a Meitei man, asserting that acts of violence have no place in a civilised society.

Fresh tension escalated on Thursday in Manipur’s Imphal valley region, inhabited by the Meitei community, after police recovered the body of a 38-year-old man a day after he and his wife were kidnapped by suspected United Kuki National Army (UKNA) militants in Manipur’s Churachandpur district, officials said.

The victim has been identified as Mayanglambam Rishikanta Singh, who belonged to the Meitei community. He was married to Chingnu Haokip, a member of the Kuki tribal community.

According to a police official, the couple was abducted on Wednesday by suspected UKNA militants and taken towards Natjang village under Henglep police station in Churachandpur district. Extremists allegedly killed Singh during captivity, while his wife was later released.

A large number of people, including women, gathered at Kakching Khunou Bazar in Kakching district and held a public meeting to protest the killing. As part of the protest, shops, business establishments, schools and government offices in the locality remained closed.

State BJP President Adhikarimayum Sharda Devi, in a post on X, said: “I strongly condemn the tragic killing of Mayanglambam Rishikanta Singh, son of Mayanglambam Tombi Singh of Kakching Khunou, allegedly by anti-national elements.”

“Such acts of violence have no place in our society and go against the values of peace, harmony, and humanity. At this difficult moment, I appeal to all sections of society to remain united, uphold the rule of law, and work collectively to strengthen our social fabric and ensure a peaceful and secure future for all,” Devi said.

The COCOMI described the killing as a brutal act and alleged that the central government has failed to control armed militant groups operating in the violence-hit state.

COCOMI Convenor Y.K. Dhiren said the killing took place at a time when civil society groups and various sections of the public were making continuous efforts to restore peace and normal life in Manipur.

“The incident was deeply unfortunate and showed that the security situation in the state was worsening,” he said, adding that more than 60,000 security personnel have been deployed in Manipur to deal with the unrest, but alleged that the presence of such a large force has not succeeded in stopping the activities of armed militants.

The COCOMI leader, while talking to the media, claimed that civilians continued to lose their lives while armed groups were able to operate freely. He claimed that the militants were using advanced weapons and moving without restraint, while the authorities failed to take firm action.

Raising questions about the proper utilisation of the huge central and paramilitary forces in protecting civilians, Dhiren said that the situation had crossed acceptable limits and required urgent intervention. He said that if innocent people could not be protected, the purpose of the deployment needed to be reviewed.

COCOMI reiterated its demand for immediate and decisive steps by the Government of India to restore law and order, fix responsibility, and prevent further loss of civilian lives in Manipur.

–IANS

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