Imphal: Hundreds of people protested in different parts of Imphal Valley on Saturday after three bodies were found in the Jiribam district in Manipur.
The bodies, identified as those of a woman and two children, were found floating in the Barak River near Jirimukh along the Manipur-Assam border on Friday night.
The bodies were brought to Assam’s Silchar Medical College Hospital (SMCH) on Friday night and kept at the hospital’s morgue for postmortem.
The incident has sparked concerns that the victims might be among the six missing residents of a displacement camp.
This camp is located near the site where security forces recently killed 10 Hmar “militants” on November 11, adding to the tensions in the conflict-ridden region.
The protesters, mostly women, blocked the main roads in the Kwakeithel area in Imphal West district, Sagolband Tera in Imphal West district by burning tyres to prevent vehicular movement, police said.
At Khwairamband market, the main market of Manipur, women vendors staged a protest rally against the killing even as huge security forces were deployed in Imphal.
According to reports, as news of the recovery of three bodies spread, business establishments and markets closed down.
Residents also took to the streets in Ningthoukhong in Bishnupur district and Lamlong in Imphal East district to stage protests against the killing.
In response to the unrest, the state government declared a holiday for schools and colleges on Saturday.
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Three women and three children who lived in a relief camp have been missing since a gunfight between security forces and militants in Jiribam district on Monday, with Metei organizations alleging that they were kidnapped by the retreating militants.
