Daijiworld Media Network - Imphal
Imphal, Sep 13: At least four members of the Kuki community, including two women, were killed in separate suspected militant attacks in Manipur’s Tamenglong and Noney districts on Sunday, police said.
Two people, including a woman, were killed in an attack at Tollen Kuki village under Kaimai Police Station in Tamenglong district, while two others, including a woman, were shot dead at Longpi village under Nungba Police Station in Noney district, police officials said.
At Tollen village, a woman identified as Lhingngai Singsit was killed after suspected militants attacked her residence. Her husband, Seineih Singsit, and their infant son were injured in the firing.
Seineih later succumbed to his injuries while being taken to a hospital in Silchar in neighbouring Assam. Security forces rushed to the village following the attack and provided medical assistance to the injured, police said.
In the second incident, armed militants allegedly opened fire at Longpi village, killing Julie Gangte and R Gangte, police said.
All four victims belonged to the Kuki tribal community, officials said.
Leaders condemn killings
Manipur Chief Minister Yumnam Khemchand Singh condemned the killings and expressed deep anguish over the loss of innocent lives.
“Such cowardly acts of violence against innocent civilians are unacceptable and have no place in our society,” the Chief Minister said in a statement issued by his office.
He conveyed his condolences to the bereaved families and prayed for their strength and for the speedy recovery of those injured.
Several organisations, MLAs and political leaders, including the Kaimai Village Authority, condemned the Tollen attack, describing it as a “deliberate and malicious attempt to create disharmony and division among communities”.
The authority urged the government to conduct an impartial investigation, identify those responsible and bring them to justice.
BJP leader and former Chief Minister N. Biren Singh also condemned the Tollen attack, describing it as “deeply disturbing and heartbreaking”.
“The tragic incident at Tollen Kuki Village, where Mrs Lhingjangai Singsit was killed, and her husband and young son sustained gunshot injuries, is deeply disturbing and heartbreaking. My deepest condolences are with the bereaved family, and I pray for the speedy recovery of the injured,” he posted on X.
He added that the safety and security of innocent civilians must remain the foremost concern and said such violence only increases the suffering of ordinary people and further undermines the fragile path towards peace.
Several Kuki and Naga MLAs also separately condemned the killings.
Naga Peoples' Front legislator Awangbou Newmai said targeting “unarmed men, women and children” was a cowardly act with no place in a civilised society.
Killings coincide with ‘Black Day’ observance
The killings coincided with “Sahnit Ni”, or “Black Day”, observed annually on September 13 by the Kuki community in Manipur to remember those killed during the Kuki-Naga conflict in the 1990s.
The latest violence comes amid continuing efforts to restore peace in Manipur, where ethnic clashes between the non-tribal Meitei and hill-based Kuki tribal communities since May 2023 have claimed at least 306 lives.
Forty-nine people remain missing, while thousands have been displaced by the prolonged ethnic violence.