Bodies of a woman and two children were discovered floating in the Barak River at Jirimukh in Manipur’s conflict-stricken Jiribam area on Friday, sparking concerns that these might be three of the six missing individuals from a camp for displaced persons. Security forces had previously killed ten Hmar “militants” near the camp on November 11. A security official stated that local residents spotted the bodies, which were subsequently recovered and taken to Silchar Medical College and Hospital in southern Assam for autopsy and identification. The official added, “We cannot yet confirm if these three bodies belong to the three women and three children who have been missing for five days. We must await the autopsy results.” The missing individuals include a 25-year-old woman and her children, aged eight months and two years; a 31-year-old woman and her eight-year-old daughter; and a 60-year-old woman. Manipur Police reported that two senior officers were deployed in Jiribam and Borobekra to oversee multiple teams in the search for the six missing people. Amid these developments, Inspector Sagapam Ibotombi Singh, the officer-in-charge of Jiribam police station, resigned, citing “unavoidable family circumstances and other reasons.” Sources mentioned that he was transferred immediately. Singh, a two-time recipient of the President’s Medal for Gallantry, had led a police team that collaborated with the CRPF in a counteroffensive after two paramilitary posts were attacked. The Kuki-Zo community claims the ten killed in retaliatory gunfire were Hmar “volunteers” defending their villages from intruders.
Barak River:
The Barak River is the second largest river in Northeast India after the Brahmaputra. It flows through the Indian states of Manipur, Nagaland, Mizoram, and Assam, and into Bangladesh.
Course:
- Origin: The Barak River originates in the Manipur hills, south of Mao in the Senapati district of Manipur, at an elevation of 2,331 m.
- It runs along the Nagaland-Manipur border through hilly regions before entering Assam.
- The river continues into Bangladesh, where it is called the Surma and the Kushiyara and later the Meghna before merging with the combined flow of the Ganga and Brahmaputra, ultimately emptying into the Bay of Bengal.
Length: The Barak River spans about 900 km, with 564 km within India. The basin is primarily forested, covering 72.58% of the area, while water bodies occupy only 1.92%.
Boundaries:
- North: Bounded by the Barail range, separating it from the Brahmaputra sub-basin.
- East: Bordered by the Naga and Lushai hills.
- South and West: Extends into Bangladesh.
Tributaries: Major tributaries include the Jiri, Dhaleswari, Singla, Longai, Sonai, and Katakhal rivers.
The combined Ganga–Brahmaputra–Meghna basin covers nearly one-third of India’s total land area.
