Meitei Man Who Went To Meet Kuki Wife In Manipur Shot Dead On Camera
Though video footage does not have any audio, the man can be seen pleading with folded hands to some people who are not visible in the video, until two shots are fired at him. Then, he is shown laying motionless on the ground
Guwahati: In a shocking incident a man from the Meitei community, who went to meet his Kuki wife in Churachandpur was abducted and shot dead by armed miscreants in front of camera and video was circulated on social media.
In the video, which surfaced late Wednesday night, a man can be seen sitting on the ground outdoors in the dark. The 1 minute 12 second video carries the text “No peace no popular government”, a reference to attempts to restore a popular government in the state. Though video footage does not have any audio, the man can be seen pleading with folded hands to some people who are not visible in the video, until two shots are fired at him. Then, he is shown laying motionless on the ground.
The person identified as Mayanglambam Rishikanta Singh, 38, worked in Nepal and had returned home on leave. His wife C Haokip, from the Kuki community is said to have taken permission from the Kuki National Organisation (KNO) and its Tuibong district headquarters to allow Mr Singh to see her for a few days, sources said. The incident happened in Manipur's Churachandpur district, 65 km from the state capital Imphal.
The district Superintendent of Police told reporters that authorities became aware of the crime after the video surfaced on social media.
The police said that they found the body in a village in Churachandpur district and brought it to a local hospital at 1.30 am.
Meanwhile, the KNO, an umbrella body of Kuki insurgent groups under the suspension of operations (SoO) agreement, in a statement on Thursday said, “It is hereby categorically clarified that neither did the organisation have any knowledge of the visit of Mayanglambam nor was it involved in the incident. The organisation further clarifies that under no circumstances is any spouse of our people from any other community ever subjected to such activity.”
The United Kuki National Army (UKNA), which is not part of the Suspension of Operations (SoO) agreement, has also denied any involvement, local sources said.
It is significant that Kukis and Meiteis have not gone into each other's areas after ethnic violence broke out in May 2023.