IMPHAL — The Manipur High Court has
constituted a four-member committee to conduct an enquiry in connection with a
56-year-old man from the Meitei community remaining untraced for the 10th day
on Wednesday, officials said.
A Home Department official said that the Division Bench of
the High Court comprising Chief Justice D Krishnakumar and Justice Golmei
Gaiphulshillu Kabui heard the petition filed by the brother of the missing
person and constituted the committee headed by the District Magistrate of
Kangpokpi District.
The other members of the committee include, Superintendent
of Police of Kangpokpi and Imphal West Districts and Commanding Officer of the
57 Mountain Division, Signal Regiment.
Police officials said that the Army has deployed over 2,000
soldiers including Assam Rifles personnel and is conducting hectic searches in
Kangpokpi and adjoining districts to locate Laishram Kamalbabu Singh, who has
been missing since November 25.
The Army as part of their search operation deployed tracker
dogs, drones and other devices.
A Joint Action Committee (JAC) and various civil society
organisations continued their sit-in protests at different places demanding
immediate rescue of the “kidnapped” man.
The JAC, constituted to spearhead the agitation against the
“abduction” of Kamalbabu Singh also continued its sit-in protest at Kanto
Sabal, around 3 km from the Leimakhong Military Station of the 57th Mountain
Division.
Singh's wife Akoijam Belarani also participated in the
protests.
The Army barricaded the road leading to the military
station.
The women's wing of the Coordinating Committee on Manipur
Integrity (COCOMI), the apex body of the majority Meitei community, also
separately agitated demanding the rescue of the “kidnapped” man.
Kamalbabu Singh, a resident of Gossaipur under Cachar
district in southern Assam, who was staying at Loitang Khunou village in Imphal
West district, left his residence on November 25 for the Leimakhong military
station, where he was working as a supervisor for a contractor working with the
Military Engineering Services (MES), but went missing.
The Army officials are continuously interacting with village
heads and community elders to gather information to further intensify the
search operation, a Defence spokesman said adding that the CCTV feeds have been
scanned, Singh’s co-workers were being spoken to, and an intense search
operation, including with the aid of sniffer dogs, has been launched.
Chief Minister N. Biren Singh earlier urged the Army to
undertake all-out efforts to locate and rescue Kamalbabu Singh and take
responsibility for finding the missing person.
Leimakhong military station, located 16 km away from the
capital Imphal, is surrounded by Kuki-Zo-Hmar tribal-dominated areas.
After the ethnic violence broke out in Manipur in May last
year, people belonging to the Meitei community fled the areas near Leimakhong
village.
