Body of 6th 'missing' person found in Manipur, autopsy done on 5

The postmortem examination of five bodies of the six missing people of Manipur's Jiribam district has been completed at a state-run hospital in Assam's Silchar town, officials said on Monday.

Another body of a woman, probably that of the sixth missing person, was found floating in the Barak river in Cachar district of Assam, which shares border with Jiribam.

Six people -- three women and three children -- belonging to the Meitei community had gone missing from a relief camp in Jiribam after a gunfight between security forces and suspected Kuki-Zo militants that resulted in the deaths of 10 insurgents on November 11.

Six bodies were found in Jiri river in Jiribam and Barak river in Cachar over the last few days. All of them were brought to Silchar Medical College and Hospital (SMCH) in a "highly decomposed state" for conducting autopsy.

"The post-mortem examination of all the five bodies has been done in SMCH. The doctors concerned are in the process of preparing the report," a source privy to the development told PTI.

He said that now the Manipur police will make arrangements for taking the bodies back to their state and handing over the mortal remains to the respective families but when it would be done is not yet known.

A senior official from Assam police headquarters said that another body of a woman was found floating in the Barak river at Singerbond area of Lakhipur police station.

"It is believed to be the last of the six missing people. Manipur Police can confirm it after verifying her identity. The remains have been sent to SMCH for postmortem examination," he said.

"We were told by Manipur police that those six people were most likely killed and thrown into the river. Two bodies, which came floating from Jiribam were fished out yesterday," the officer added.

Initially, the bodies of a woman and two children were found floating in Jiri river in Jiribam and were brought to SMCH on Friday.

Bodies of a woman and a child were found floating in Barak river on Sunday morning.

The six missing persons were identified as Yumrembam Rani Devi (60), Telem Thoibi Devi (31) and her daughter Telem Thajamanbi Devi (8), Laishram Heithoibi Devi (25) and her two children Laishram Chingkheinganba Singh (two-and-a-half-years old) and Laishram Lamnganba Singh (10 months).

Meanwhile, hundreds of Meitei men and women gathered in front of the statue of freedom fighter Khudiram Bose in Silchar on Sunday night and held a candlelight protest against the abduction and suspected murder of the six persons.

The ethnically diverse Jiribam, which was largely untouched by the clashes in Imphal Valley and the adjoining hills, witnessed violence after the mutilated body of a farmer was found in a field in June this year.

More than 220 people have been killed and thousands rendered homeless in ethnic violence between Imphal Valley-based Meiteis and adjoining hills-based Kuki-Zo groups since May last year.

It started 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 little over 40 per cent and reside in the hill districts.