Militants abduct government engineers in Manipur

IMPHAL - Four engineers of the Manipur public health engineering department and their driver were abducted by separatist militants in the state, police said here Sunday.

“Heavily armed Kangleipak Communist Party (Military Council) militants stopped the engineers’ vehicle and kidnapped them on (Imphal-Dimapur) National Highway 39 late Saturday,” a police officer told reporters.

“The engineers were going to Tadubi (in Senapati district) in northern Manipur to attend the inauguration function of a water supply scheme of the public health engineering department.”

Paramilitary Assam Rifles troopers, accompanied by state security forces led by senior police officers, have launched a search operation to rescue the hostages. They have recovered the abandoned vehicle of the engineers.

Senapati district superintendent of police Nishit K. Ujjwal said security forces were carrying out combing operations to rescue the abducted officials but there was no clue of their whereabouts yet.

Police suspect that the guerrillas abducted the engineers and their driver to collect ransom from the public health engineering department, which has been executing several projects in the militancy-ravaged areas.

Over 20 separatist outfits are active in Manipur and their demands range from sovereignty to the formation of autonomous district councils for the tribals.