All documents related to missing man sent to PMO: Manipur minister

PTI, IMPHAL, DECEMBER 6, 2024: Manipur's Social Welfare Minister Heikham Dingo on Friday said all documents related to Laishram Kamalbabu Singh, who allegedly went missing from the Leimakhong Military Station, were sent to the Prime Minister's Office as well as to the offices of Defence Minister Rajnath Singh and Home Minister Amit Shah.

Singh, a native of Assam's Cachar district who lived in Khukrul in Imphal West, was a works supervisor for a contractor working with the Military Engineering Services at the Leimakhong Military Station in Kangpokpi district of the 57th Mountain Division, according to the Army. He has been missing since November 25, with Chief Minister N Biren Singh claiming that he went missing from the military station.

"We have sent all the necessary documents to the PMO, and the offices of the Defence Minister and Home Minister. We are waiting for an answer. The Army authorities should be held responsible for the incident as he went missing from such a secured location. It is really unfortunate," Dingo told reporters on the sidelines of a programme.

At Kanto Sabal, some 3 km from the military station, locals continued their demonstration urging the government to make greater efforts to find the missing man, who belongs to the Metei community. Police said on Monday that the Army had deployed over 2,000 personnel to search for Singh, as well as drones and tracker dogs.

Manipur Chief Minister N Biren Singh on Thursday said that he received a "key piece of evidence" which showed that the 56-year-old man missing for 10 days had disappeared from an army camp at Leimakhong in Kangpokpi district. The evidence was submitted to him by representatives of the Joint Action Committee formed in response to the disappearance of Laishram Kamalbabu Singh on November 25, sparking protests in the northeastern state.

"Met the representatives of the Joint Action Committee (JAC) Against the Missing of Shri Laishram Kamalbabu and his family members, who are actively pursuing his whereabouts. Shri Kamalbabu was last seen at the 57 Mountain Division Headquarters, Leimakhong," the CM said in a post on X.

Singh said that the entry signature signed by Kamalbabu, belonging to the Meitei community, before he entered the army camp was presented to him by the JAC members. "During the meeting, the JAC members presented a key piece of evidence—the entry signature of Shri Kamalbabu, which he had signed before entering the camp," Singh added.