Army Plaques Stolen From WW II Cemetery

Imphal, Jul 19 : Barely six months after criminals decamped with 13 bronze plaques from the Army's World War II cemetery at Hatta in Manipur capital, four more plaques have been stolen from the same site again.

Officials of the Commonwealth War Graves Commission (CWGC), UK, who maintain the cemetery, have lodged a police complaint. During World War II, Manipur had witnessed fierce battles between the allied forces and the Japanese troops, killing and maiming thousands of soldiers.

CWGC (Northeast India) regional manager Salew Pfotte on Friday said the four plaques, which were stolen on Tuesday night, were engraved on the memorial stones of the dead solders.

Besides lodging a complaint with Porompat police station, two chisels and a shirt, suspected to have been left behind by the miscreants, were handed over to police, he said.

"I have also informed the matter to our head office officials in England and they took a serious note of it," said Salew, who is looking after five World War II cemeteries in the northeast two in Imphal and one each in Kohima, Digboi and Guwahati.

He said he had placed order for temporary name plates for burial of the four departed soldiers Barkat Ali (14 Animal Transport Corps), Nadieu (West African Artillery), Mukhaiyar Ali (167 GP Transport Corps) and Kalander (127 General Transport Corps).

Altogether 868 Indian soldiers were cremated and buried in this World War II cemetery, he said. For the 13 burials whose plaques were stolen in January this year, temporary plaques made of plastic have been put there, Salew, a native of Manipur, said. Police are yet to pull up anyone in connection with the two theft cases, Salew lamented.