Imphal, Dec. 31: Soldiers under the command of 57 Mountain Division today launched a massive search operation in Manipur’s Loktak lake to flush out rebels holed up there.
Villagers said there was heavy exchange of fire from both sides. The troops used heavy artillery, motorboats and choppers to drive out members suspected to be from the Kanglei Yawol Kanna Lup, but they could not achieve the desired results as the militants fired back and fled. Police provided logistical support in the operation.
This is the second major offensive on rebels in Loktak lake since September this year. On September 8, the army and the police gunned down five cadres of the Peoples Revolutionary Party of Kangleipak (Prepak) and seized a large number of weapons during a joint raid on the lake. The army was not available for a detailed report of today’s encounter. However, unofficial sources said there were some injuries on both sides.
The police said the army cordoned off Ngaikhiong Mayai Leikai in the northern part of the lake since midnight following information that some militants were holed up on one of the phumdis (floating bio-mass) on the lake. The firing began around 4am and lasted for nearly two hours. The troops finally retreated from the area around noon. There was no report of any civilian casualties.
After the September operation, the Okram Ibobi Singh cabinet had even announced a cash prize of Rs 5 lakh each to the police as well as the army personnel who had taken part in the flushout.
The weapons recovered in that operation included six AK-56 rifles, one each of M-79 (lethod gun), M-16 rifle, 60mm mortar, M-81 machine gun and rocket launcher, 22 lethod bombs, three rocket shells, five each of mortar bombs and Chinese-made grenades, one .36 Indian grenade, four kg RDX along with a large number of ammunition, 13 wireless sets and three binoculars.
The government has plans to form a special police team, the Loktak Protection Force, to prevent rebels taking shelter on the 45 square km lake. But before that, the army and the police will make routine raids on the lake, a source said.
