New Delhi

The Indian Army had to release 12 militants in violence-hit northeastern Manipur state after they were surrounded by a mob of up to 1,500 locals.

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The defence ministry in a statement on Sunday said they had to let go of the militants in order to avoid any collateral damage.

Though the statement only mentions it was a “women-led group”, several local media reports claimed that the women belonged to Meira Paibis group, also referred to as "guardians of civil society".

The militants belonged to the banned Kanglei Yawol Kunna Lup (KYKL), including self-styled “Lt Col” Moirangthem Tamba alias Uttam— a wanted militant identified as the mastermind of the 2015 Chandel ambush in which 18 soldiers of the six Dogra Regiment were killed.

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“Around 2.30 pm (local time), acting on specific intelligence inputs, an operation was launched by security forces in Itham village in Imphal East after which a cordon was laid... In the ensuing operation, 12 KYKL cadres were apprehended along with arms, ammunition and war-like stores,” an army spokesperson told Hindustan Times newspaper.

Later, they were confronted by a “1,200-1,500 led by women and [a] local leader”, who immediately surrounded them and “prevented the security forces from going ahead with the operation”.

Manipur violence: No end to Meitei-Kuki clashes

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Mature decision

“Repeated appeals to the aggressive mob to let security forces carry on with the operation as per the law did not yield any result”, the spokesperson said.

The army said that they had to release the militants, calling it “mature” and saying that it “shows [the] humane face of the Indian Army”.

“Keeping in view the sensitivity of use of force against the mob led by women and likely casualties due to such action, the decision was taken to hand over all 12 cadres to the local leader,” a spokesperson told The Times of India newspaper.

Manipur is facing one of its worst ethnic flare-ups in recent decades. The clashes first began after a “Tribal Solidarity March” was called by the All Tribal Students’ Union of Manipur (ATSUM).

The march was organised in protest against the demand for inclusion of the area’s majority Meitei community in the Scheduled Tribe (ST) category, following an April 19 Manipur High Court order.

The Indian laws provide reservations in some government jobs, college admissions and electoral seats for communities under the ST category as a form of affirmative action to tackle historical structural inequality and discrimination.

The Kuki community has opposed the Meitei community’s inclusion in the list, fearing opportunity and job loss due to the group’s demographically and politically advantageous position.

(With inputs from agencies)

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