Army frees 12 militants in India's Manipur after being surrounded by mob

NEW DELHI, June 25 (Xinhua) -- Indian army on Sunday said it has released a dozen militants in the northeastern state of Manipur after being surrounded by a women-led mob of over 1,200 people.

The militants were trapped at village Itham in Imphal East on Saturday. However, the army had to give in after being surrounded by the women-led mob, which prevented government forces from going ahead with the operation.

A statement issued by the Indian army said the standoff, which lasted for nearly a day, ended after it decided to release the militants to avoid civilian casualties.

The northeastern state has been on edge since May 3 when large-scale violence broke out in the state during a tribal protest over the inclusion of the non-tribal Meiteis community for a scheduled tribe status.

The ethnic clashes claimed over 100 lives and displaced over 40,000 people. Nearly 300 people were injured and close to 1,700 houses burnt down during the violence in the state.

Authorities responded by imposing a curfew and putting a blanket ban on internet services as a precautionary measure to restrict the mobilization of crowds in the state.