Guwahati: A 45-year-old Meitei woman, hailing from the Pangaltabi village of Maning Leiki in Manipur’s Kakching, strayed towards Tengnoupal district’s Senam village on Tuesday (July 30).
Kohima-based Defence PRO Lt Col Amit Shukla said that the woman appeared disoriented and confused about her location.
The concerned Kuki villagers in the area noticed the woman and ensured her safety by handing her over to the Assam Rifles at a mobile vehicle check post in Tengnoupal.
On being questioned by the local villagers, the woman said that her husband had been missing for more than five months and she was searching for him when she mistakenly crossed from Pallel into the area, he said.
The woman in distress sought assistance from the villagers who in turn, displaying a goodwill gesture, handed her over to the Assam Rifles. The paramilitary force then escorted her to Pallel where she was safely handed over to the Manipur police, he added.
Lt Col Shukla further said that the prompt and empathetic response by the Kuki villagers played a crucial role in ensuring the safety of a Meitei woman. This act by the Kuki villagers depicted a rare sense of harmony among both communities in these testing times when the whole state was engulfed in communal issues.