Four Naga Civilians Killed In Ukhrul Ambush; Kangpokpi Shut
Mother-Son Duo Among Four Killed On NH-202; Bandh Called Over Kuki Woman's Killing Disrupts Life In Kangpokpi
Guwahati: Amid the ongoing 48-hour bandh in Kangpokpi district, four Naga civilians, including a mother and her son from Ukhrul district, were killed in an ambush by suspected Kuki militants along the Imphal-Ukhrul highway on Friday.
The incident occurred near New Heaven along National Highway 202 while the victims were travelling to Imphal. Two persons were found dead with bullet injuries inside a Swift car, while two others were found in a Bolero pick-up vehicle. The incident took place at about 1 pm on Friday.
The deceased have been identified as Kapangkhui RS and Haoleila RS, a mother and son from Shangshak village, and siblings Khanmila Keishing and August Ngalung from Tashar village. Police rushed to the spot and initiated an investigation.
Meanwhile, normal life was disrupted in Manipur’s Kangpokpi district on Friday following a bandh called by the Kangpokpi-based Committee on Tribal Unity (COTU) to protest the killing of a woman in a gunfight on Thursday. COTU has called a 48-hour bandh beginning at midnight on November 12 following the incident near Taphou Kuki village.
Though educational institutions, medical facilities and emergency services were exempted from the shutdown, security sources said markets, shops and business establishments remained closed, while public transport stayed off the roads.
Buses and autorickshaws remained off the roads, causing inconvenience to commuters. A COTU functionary demanded the withdrawal of all central and state security forces from Kangpokpi, particularly those operating under the Senapati district Superintendent of Police, alleging that the existing security arrangements had failed to protect civilians.
The bandh was called after Thursday’s gunfight between rival groups in the area near Taphou Kuki village in Kangpokpi and Kailengjang in neighbouring Senapati district. A 42-year-old Kuki woman, identified as Kimneineng Chongloi, a resident of Taphou Kuki village, was shot dead while working in a paddy field. She was found holding a sickle. Two men from the same village, S. David Chongloi (34) and Lamkhochon Chongloi (46), sustained bullet injuries and were taken to hospitals in Kangpokpi.
Deputy Chief Minister Nemcha Kipgen condemned the killing and called for a prompt, thorough and impartial investigation. Additional security forces, including personnel from the CRPF, BSF and Assam Rifles, were rushed to the area.
The incident occurred amid heightened tensions in the region, including recent protests over the killing of two Kuki youths from the same village whose bodies were recovered earlier this month.
