Villagers Deny Militancy Claims, Say Deceased Were Volunteers

Villagers from Manipur’s Kuki community assert that 10 people killed by security forces were volunteers guarding their land, not militants. Protests erupted at Silchar Medical College over delays in releasing the bodies for postmortem.

Villagers also accused Manipur police of harassment, prompting additional security at the hospital. Earlier, security forces reported killing 11 militants, citing the use of sophisticated weapons during the encounter.