2 IRB Personnel Freed After Brief Detention by KNA-B in Manipur
Guwahati: Amid the ongoing hostage crisis in Manipur, two personnel of the 11th Indian Reserve Battalion (IRB), who went missing in Huimine Thana, a remote border area of Kamjong district, were released safely after being briefly detained by Kuki National Army-Burma (KNA-B) cadres.
Security sources on Sunday said the personnel were identified as Thotreimung (Tangkhul) and Pasel Ana and both were posted at Huimine Thana under Chassad Police Station near the Indo-Myanmar border. According to sources, the duo went missing around 10 am on Saturday morning after leaving for a temporary refugee camp located at Shangkalok/Kheirongram in Ramphoi village, between Border Pillars 100 and 102, sparking concerns among security agencies.
The incident sparked new tensions in the region, but the duo was released unharmed and handed over to the Assam Rifles on the India-Myanmar border. The Assam Rifles unit stationed in Phaikoh later handed them over to Manipur Police officials in Kamjong district.
The KNA-B later claimed in a statement that the two men from Manipur “illegally crossed into Myanmar for illegal activities” and were subsequently released “in accordance with the Geneva Conventions”.
The Kuki National Army (KNA), the armed wing of the Kuki National Organization, operates through two separate branches divided by the international border.
Meanwhile, this new kidnapping incident comes amid ongoing tensions over the kidnapping case in Kangpokpi district, where 14 Kuki villagers are still missing.
In connection with this case, Manipur chief minister Y Khemchand Singh appealed to community leaders to cooperate with authorities and facilitate the safe return of the abducted.
Security sources announced that the released personnel were not among the 14 people allegedly missing in the mountainous regions of the province.
