Tension flares in Churachandpur after body of missing man found near ethnic flashpoint Torbung

Tension engulfed Manipur's Churachandpur town after the body of a 45-year-old man was recovered near Bishnupur district. 

Sokhongam Baite, a resident of Churachandpur's Tuibong, had gone missing on Thursday evening while collecting bamboo shoots.

Security personnel deployed in Churachandpur and Bishnupur districts launched a search for Baite, whose body was found near an electric transformer in the Torbung area, some 13 km away from his house, officials said.

The body could not be retrieved at night as there were high-voltage electric lines. It was recovered on Friday morning and sent to the Churachandpur district hospital for post-mortem examination, they said.

"The exact cause of the death will be known from the post-mortem examination. Preliminary investigations indicate that he might have died due to electrocution," an official said.

While people of the Kuki community live in Churachandpur, the Bishnupur district is dominated by Meiteis. Over 260 people have been killed and thousands left homeless after ethnic clashes broke out between Kukis and Meiteis in May 2023.

The first incidents of violence that triggered the clashes were reported from Torbung, where the body was found.