Imphal, Oct 11: At least four insurgents have been killed in central Manipur’s Thoubal district even as the joint operations of the security forces were still going on late Sunday evening, officials said.
Officials said that acting on a secret information on the presence of militants, joint operations of the security forces were launched on Saturday at Hingojang areas of Thoubal district and cordoned off the area before the gun battle was started between the two sides.
Meanwhile, protests were going on in different parts of Manipur against the assassination of an influential tribal leader and social activist Athuan Abonmai by the extremists on September 22.
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Assassination of Athuan Abonmai
Abonmai, the former president of Zeliangrong Baudi, a tribal-based local council in Tamenglong district and a leader of the Naga People’s Front (NPF), had been abducted on September 22 when the Chief Minister N.Biren Singh, accompanied by his ministerial colleagues, visited the hill district bordering Assam and Nagaland to inaugurate some projects as part of the state’s ‘Go to Hills’ campaign.
On the request of the Manipur government, the Union Home Ministry earlier this month asked the National Investigation Agency to probe the assassination of the influential tribal leader and social activist Abonmai.
The Manipur government has suspended 16 policemen including some troopers of Manipur Rifles for their negligence of duty and failed to protect the life of the important tribal leader.
Local media reports said that 20 armed cadres of a hill-based extremist outfit suspected to be of NSCN (IM) kidnapped Abonmai near Pallong village.
