Politics / Manipur

Imphal, March 24: Yambem ongbi Niroda, the distraught wife of the abducted official Y Thamkishore has fervently appealed to the gunmen who abducted her husband to release him safely and without any harm. Niroda who has been in Chandel since her husband was whisked away by the gunmen returned to Imphal today as the last seven days or so have not yielded any positive development. Speaking to newsmen at her Uripok Yambem Leikai residence this evening, the woman who has gone through sleepless nights and anxious moments said the abductors have so far not spelt out the reason why her husband was...

Imphal, March 24: Owing responsibility for the abduction of Chandel DC Y Thamkishore on March 18, NSCN (M) secretary general Thuingaleng Muivah said that the officer will be released unharmed if the Indian Government returns all the weapons seized from its cadres during the Pallel incident within the next few days. In an interview carried out by the Amsterdam based Naga International Support Centre (NISC) yesterday, the NSCN (IM) chief said ?the situation has been created by the armed forces of the Government of India. The GoI then must apologize for the treacherous attack and return all...

Imphal, March 23: A fear psychosis has gripped the residents of Khabam Lamkhai, Matai and Luwangsabam areas following intensified follow up activities taken up by the 12 Assam Rifles in the wake of the bomb blast which claimed the life of one AR personnel. Witnesses told reporters the AR personnels ransacked shops in the vicinity of Khabam Lamkhai bazar and ordered owners to down their shutters. Only some womenfolk were sighted in the area. The youths who were the main target of the securitymen?s wrath have reportedly shifted to safer places. DIG Khaute, IG Baral and SPs of Imphal east and...

Imphal, March 23: Forsaking all promises of a small ministry, chief minister Okram Ibobi today inducted thirteen more ministers swelling the size of his ministry to 34. Twelve of those inducted were sworn in this afternoon; the thirteenth, K Ranjit, was absent. The chief minister has said the huge size of the ministry was due to pressures exerted from other constituent units of the Secular Progressive Front (SPF). However a prominent cabinet minister defended Ibobi and asserted that the first priority of the chief minister was to keep the government intact. As anticipated, W Leima went...

Imphal, March 22: Even though the Government is yet to order security operations for the rescue of abducted Chandel DC, Y Thamkishwor even after five days of the abduction, a red alert has been sounded in all the security posts in Chandel district including some in neighboring districts to check possible whisking away of the abducted official to Myanmar. Addl DGP AK Parashar who is holding the charge of the DGP in AA Siddiqui's absence told The Sangai Express that the rescue operations have not been taken up due to fear for the officer's life and in view of the appeal made by his family. He...

IMPHAL, March 21 ? Police and para-military forces were yet to rescue operation for the kidnapped Deputy Commissioner of Manipur?s Chandel district even as different communities Thursday took out a procession demanding his safe release, official sources said here, reports PTI. The communities took out a rally at the district headquarters demanding safe release of the kidnapped deputy commission Yambem Thamkishore, who had been abducted at gun point on Monday from Chandel forest gate area by suspected United Kuki Liberation Front militants. Police and paramilitary personnel, campign here since...

Imphal, March 21: Ruling SPF candidate and MLA from Sugnu constituency K Ranjit was today unanimously elected as the new Deputy Speaker of the 8th State Assembly by the House. Ranjit was elected unanimously after the Opposition Democratic Peoples Alliance candidate N Sobhakiran of the FPM withdrew his nomination today. His election with the approval of both the Treasury and Opposition benches was declared by Speaker TN Haokip on the floor of the House. He was ushered in to his seat by Commerce and Industries Minister Th Devendra and senior member of the Opposition RK Dorendra. Congratulating...

Imphal, March 20: Even as the Chief Minister O Ibobi today said on the floor of the House that a search operation would be launched to rescue the kidnapped Deputy Commissioner of Chandel district Yambem Thamkishore a rally has been planned at Chandel tomorrow demanding the safe release of the officer. Replying to a call attention motion in the Assembly, Ibobi said local leaders have informed the Government that they are trying their best to find the whereabouts of the DC and establish contact with the captor. ?If the IAS officer was not released by today, heavy police and paramilitary forces...

IMPHAL, March 20 ? The militants, who kidnapped Chandel district Deputy Commissioner Yambem Thamkishore, have demanded huge ransom and put some conditions for his release, official sources said here Wednesday, reports PTI. Though contact with the abductors had been estabished through some mediators but details of discussions with them and their identity could not be disclosed, the sources said. The sources also refused to divulge the ransom and the conditions put forward by the militants for securing his release. Police, aided by para military forces, continued search for the Deputy...

Imphal, March 19: The whereabouts of kidnapped Chandel DC Yambem Thamkishore Singh is not yet known till now. However state forces led by DIG (Range) V Zathang and aided by paramilitary troops are continuing large scale operation to track the kidnapped bureaucrat. It may be recalled that, the kidnapping of the DC took place near the Chandel electricity office just two km away north of Chandel P/S. The DC was driving from Imphal to his office along with his wife and a security escort in two Gypsys. The DC was accompanied by eight personnel of the Manipur Rifles at the time of the abduction, led...