Guwahati: The bodies of ten Manipur residents, killed in an encounter with the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) in Jiribam on November 11, were finally airlifted to Churachandpur on Saturday.
The bodies had been brought to Silchar Medical College and Hospital (SMCH) in Assam on November 12 for postmortem examination.
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Hundreds of protesters from the Hmar and Kuki communities had been demonstrating at the SMCH premises in Silchar since November 13, demanding the release of the bodies, HT reported.
Tensions escalated on Saturday morning when Assam and Manipur police attempted to remove the bodies, leading to violent clashes.
Police resorted to lathi-charge to disperse the protesters, who retaliated by pelting stones, injuring several officers and four journalists. After a 30-minute standoff, senior police officials intervened, and the protesters agreed to allow the bodies to be transported.
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Before the bodies were airlifted, the protesters performed traditional rituals and mourned the loss of their loved ones. David Keivom from Dima Hasao criticized the decision to bring the bodies to Assam, arguing that it unnecessarily prolonged the ordeal for the families.
Cachar SP Numal Mahatta assured that the situation had returned to normal and that the police would investigate the stone-pelting incident.
“We never allowed the tension from Manipur to escalate to Cachar and we won’t spare anyone involved in unlawful activities. Today, some people got emotionally moved and attacked our officers, we’ll investigate this and may take lawful action against them,” HT quoted SP Mahatta as saying.