Manipur Police Hunt Gunmen Behind Churachandpur Ambush
1 July 2025 3:39 PM IST1 July 2025 3:39 PM IST
A banned militant outfit—the United Kuki National Army (UKNA)—claimed responsibility for the attack, which killed three members of another armed Kuki organisation
Manipur police said that security has been tightened to prevent any escalation of violence. (Representational file image)
Guwahati: The Manipur Police on Tuesday said that security forces have launched a massive combing operation to nab the gunmen who killed Thenkhothang alias Thahpi Haokip, the 48-year-old ‘deputy commander-in-chief’ of the Kuki National Army, along with his two bodyguards and a 72-year-old woman, in an ambush in Churachandpur district on Monday.
Informing that an FIR has been registered in connection with the killing of the four people by unidentified gunmen, police said that security has been tightened to prevent any escalation of violence.
In a statement, police said: “Operations have been launched by security forces to arrest the culprits involved in the incident. An FIR has been registered in connection with the case at Churachandpur PS for further investigation.”
Meanwhile, a banned militant outfit—the United Kuki National Army (UKNA)—claimed responsibility for the attack, which killed three members of another armed Kuki organisation that had signed a peace agreement with the government in 2008.
The ambush took place near Mongjang village, about five km from Churachandpur town, on Monday, when three of the victims were travelling in a car.
The three men died on the spot inside the vehicle, while the elderly woman, who was passing through the area, was hit by a stray bullet. She succumbed to her injuries on the way to the Churachandpur district hospital.
Security forces, who rushed to the spot, found more than a dozen empty shells near the vehicle, indicating that the assailants had fired a volley of shots from close range. The two bodyguards were identified as Seikhogin, 34, and Lengouhao, 35. The slain woman was identified as 72-year-old Phalhing from Koite village.
It is significant that the KNA is the armed wing of the Kuki National Organisation, one of about 25 Kuki extremist groups that signed a suspension of operations agreement with the Centre in 2008.
Informing that an FIR has been registered in connection with the killing of the four people by unidentified gunmen, police said that security has been tightened to prevent any escalation of violence.
In a statement, police said: “Operations have been launched by security forces to arrest the culprits involved in the incident. An FIR has been registered in connection with the case at Churachandpur PS for further investigation.”
Meanwhile, a banned militant outfit—the United Kuki National Army (UKNA)—claimed responsibility for the attack, which killed three members of another armed Kuki organisation that had signed a peace agreement with the government in 2008.
The ambush took place near Mongjang village, about five km from Churachandpur town, on Monday, when three of the victims were travelling in a car.
The three men died on the spot inside the vehicle, while the elderly woman, who was passing through the area, was hit by a stray bullet. She succumbed to her injuries on the way to the Churachandpur district hospital.
Security forces, who rushed to the spot, found more than a dozen empty shells near the vehicle, indicating that the assailants had fired a volley of shots from close range. The two bodyguards were identified as Seikhogin, 34, and Lengouhao, 35. The slain woman was identified as 72-year-old Phalhing from Koite village.
It is significant that the KNA is the armed wing of the Kuki National Organisation, one of about 25 Kuki extremist groups that signed a suspension of operations agreement with the Centre in 2008.
( Source : Deccan Chronicle )
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