Photo Courtesy: nenow
Imphal: The United Peoples of Manipur (UPM) is calling for immediate action to find those lost in the state's ongoing violence. Officials currently report 49 missing individuals, but the UPM insists that cash cannot provide the closure families need. The group claims at least 31 to 32 Meitei people, including minors and high school students, remain missing.
The state cabinet recently approved a Rs 4.90 crore humanitarian package for families of the 49 missing people. This grant provides Rs 10 lakh to each family. Spokespersons Sapam Ranjan Singh and Thokchom Radheshyam clarified that these people are legally presumed dead only after seven years. They stated, "The special state-funded grant was intended to provide assistance to distressed families without waiting for the standard compensation process."
UPM leadership pointed to the recovery of one teenager's remains in January 2024 as evidence that more can be done. They argued that the government's failure to retrieve bodies from known conflict corridors has damaged public trust. The organization wants the Manipur government and the Union Ministry of Home Affairs to form joint search teams immediately.
These teams would consist of the CRPF, Assam Rifles, a State Police Special Investigation Team, and forensic experts. The UPM demands these units receive unrestricted authority to scour burial sites in peripheral hill and foothill areas. During the same cabinet meeting, Chief Minister Yumnam Khemchand Singh also standardized compensation for Army and Central Armed Police Forces personnel killed or injured in extremist violence to match state police rates.
Comments