Imphal, July 23: Manipur chief minister Okram Ibobi Singh today assured the House that action would be taken against the militants who had abducted a medical student from Tripura in Churachandpur district.
Militants, believed to be signatories to the suspension of operations agreement, abducted post-graduate student Kunal Chakravarty when a group of medical students were returning here after a tour to Churachandpur on July 20. He was, however, rescued within an hour.
“I have directed the police to investigate the abduction, identify the culprits, discuss the matter at the next meeting of the suspension of operations joint monitoring group and take action against the rebels involved,” Ibobi Singh told the House.
He was replying to a call attention motion moved jointly by Opposition MPP members Ng. Bijoy Singh and I. Ibohalbi Singh on the spat of abductions in the past few days.
RIMS, which had shut down yesterday in protest against the abduction, reopened today.
Doctors at the hospital also staged a sit-in on the campus today against a grenade threat to ENT professor M. Madhumangol at his Ngakraba Leirak residence on the outskirts of Imphal yesterday.
Ibobi Singh told the House that he had instructed the inspector-general of police (intelligence) M. Khaute, a member of the joint monitoring group, to identify the rebels involved and take action against them. “The groups should follow the ground rules strictly. If they continue to violate the rules, the government will not hesitate to withdraw the suspension of operations agreement,” he warned.
He also said the police had seized a vehicle believed to have been used in the abduction of Yumnam Manaoba, 23, son of Y. Megha, a close aide of health minister Ph. Parijat Singh and secretary of CPI Lamlai Council of Imphal East. Suspected Kangleipak Communist Party (Monile Task Force) rebels had abducted Manaoba on July 19.
The chief minister said the police had picked up eight persons for questioning in connection with the kidnapping and efforts were on to rescue the hostage. “I am closely monitoring the situation. I gave strong instructions to the director-general of police and other senior police officers to step up measures to check abductions,” Ibobi Singh said.
The health minister had said yesterday that the abductors were demanding contracts worth Rs 10 crore and Rs 2 crore in cash from him.
Ibobi Singh said information received by the police and security forces had led to the medical student’s rescue and appealed to the people to give timely reports to the police for immediate action.
