In Jiribam, Manipur, the bodies of three women were discovered amid a tense hostage situation following a violent incident involving militants. The women, along with three children, had been taken hostage by suspected Kuki insurgents. The bodies were found in the area after an operation by security forces who had previously killed 10 militants in a confrontation. The women’s deaths are part of the ongoing violence in the region, and security operations continue as authorities work to locate the missing children.

The bodies are yet to be identified, sources at the morgue who have seen the bodies said. The morgue is at Silchar Medical College and Hospital (SMHC), about 50 km from Jiribam. The bodies were brought to the morgue at 7 pm on Friday, sources said, adding autopsies of bodies found in Jiribam are done in SMHC due to lack of proper infrastructure in the town. The three children, including an infant and a toddler, were abducted by a group of suspected Kuki militants from the Bokobera neighborhood in Jiribam.

This occurred when another group of militants was engaged in a gunfight with the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF). In the clash, 10 militants were killed. The hostages, all from the Meitei community, remain at the centre of a tense and ongoing security operation​.

On Monday, three children, including an infant and a two-and-a-half-year-old, were taken hostage in Manipur. The group of hostages also included the mother of the two younger children. All the hostages belong to the Meitei community. These kidnappings are part of the escalating violence in the region. The authorities are conducting ongoing operations to locate and secure the missing individuals​.