A junior commissioned officer (JCO) with the army was abducted from his residence in Thoubal district of Manipur on Friday morning and was later rescued after a massive search operation.

This is the second incident since February where a security official has been kidnapped, underlining the worrying law and order situation in the state because of the ongoing ethnic conflict between the Meitei and the Kuki-Zo people that erupted on May 3. On February 27, a police official was overpowered and abducted but subsequently rescued.

The abducted JCO has been identified as Konsam Kheda Singh. A group of miscreants allegedly stormed into his Charangpat Mamang Leikai residence around 9am and whisked him away in a vehicle, reports from Imphal said.

Army officials initially confirmed the incident but did not divulge the likely cause of the abduction or those behind the kidnapping. They only revealed the fact that he was a JCO and he was on leave. He was serving outside the state.

Official sources told The Telegraph that the coordinated search operation by security agencies has resulted in the “safe rescue” of the JCO around 6.30pm.

Following the abduction of the additional SP of the state police on February 27 by armed miscreants, police commandos staged an arms-down protest the next day.

The police later in a statement said members of the Meitei radical group — Arambai Tenggol — were involved in the abduction.

The police also said if such incidents occur and the police are not allowed to discharge their duty freely, there could be a reimposition of the Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act in the valley districts.

The ethnic conflict in Manipur has seen the deployment of 198 companies of central paramilitary forces and 149 columns of the army to assist the civil administration and police to maintain order. The strife has led to the death of at least 221 persons and displacement of over 67,000.

Before Friday’s abduction from Meitei-majority Thoubal district in the valley, there were at least three other incidents in which personnel belonging to central or state forces or their family members have been targetted.

In September, a Defence Service Corps personnel on leave was killed by an armed group. In November, four family members of an armyman were killed on the border of Imphal West district. Then on October 31, a Manipur police SDPO was shot dead by a sniper in Moreh under Tengnoupal district.

Manipur MP and Union minister Rajkumar Ranjan Singh in a letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi has requested him to evolve a mechanism to facilitate talks between the CSOs representing both Meitei and Kuki-Zo tribes to come up with steps to end the ongoing conflict. The Prime Minister has not visited the state since May 3.