Imphal: Security forces in trouble-torn Manipur’s Imphal East district had to release at least 12 apprehended Kanglei Yawol Kanna Lup (KYKL) militants after a strong mob, led by women, surrounded the forces and prevented them from going ahead on Saturday night, an official said.

The KYKL, a Meitei militant group in Manipur, was involved in a number of attacks, including the ambush of a 6 Dogra unit in 2015, the official said.

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According to a defence spokesman, after Saturday midnight the Army and the Assam Rifles, acting on specific intelligence inputs, launched an operation at Itham village in Imphal East district and the area was cordoned off before the actual search commenced to avoid inconvenience to the locals.

“The operation resulted in the apprehension of 12 KYKL cadres along with arms, and ammunition. Self-styled Lt Col Moirangthem Tamba alias Uttam was also among the 12 militants. He was the mastermind of an ambush on the 6th battalion of the DOGRA in 2015,” the spokesman said.

A mob of around 1500 people, led by women and local leaders, immediately surrounded the area and prevented the security forces from continuing the operation despite repeated appeals.

“Repeated appeals to the aggressive mob to let the security forces carry on with operation as per law did not yield any positive result,” the official said.

Keeping in view the sensitivity of the use of kinetic force against a large irate mob and envisaged casualties due to such action, the officer on the ground made a considerate decision to hand over all 12 KYKL militants to local leaders.

The Army and the Assam Rifles troops lifted the cordon and left the area with the recovered weapons and ammunition.

More than 100 people have lost their lives in the ethnic violence between Meitei and Kuki communities in Manipur so far.

Clashes first broke out on May 3 after a ‘Tribal Solidarity March’ was organised in the hill districts to protest against the Meitei community‘s demand for Scheduled Tribe (ST) status.

Meiteis account for about 53 per cent of Manipur’s population and live mostly in the Imphal Valley. Tribals — Nagas and Kukis — constitute another 40 per cent of the population and reside in the hill districts.