Two men injured in Kangpokpi firing as security forces launch search operations amid escalating tensions.
Imphal: A 42-year-old Kuki woman was shot dead, and two men were injured when suspected militants belonging to rival groups exchanged fire in Manipur's Kangpokpi district on Thursday, officials said.
The gunfight broke out around 11 am near Taphou Kuki village in Kangpokpi district and Kailengjang in neighbouring Senapati district.
The woman, identified as K. Chongloi, was working in a field when she was caught in the firing. She was found dead with a sickle in her hand. Her body was recovered by villagers and security personnel.
Two men, S. David Chongloi, 34, and Lamkhochon Chongloi, 46, sustained bullet injuries and were admitted to hospitals in Kangpokpi district.
Deputy Chief Minister Nemcha Kipgen condemned the killing as a “heinous act of violence” and called for a prompt, thorough and impartial investigation.
Police said additional security personnel, including CRPF, BSF and Assam Rifles personnel, had been deployed in the area. Security forces cordoned off nearby villages and launched search operations to prevent further violence.
“Investigation has been initiated, and suspects are being questioned in connection with the incident,” police said.
Security forces also conducted searches at Oname Taphou village in Senapati district, where residents, mostly women, attempted to prevent them from entering.
The incident occurred amid protests by the Committee on Tribal Unity (COTU), which staged a sit-in at the Kangpokpi district headquarters over the recent abduction and killing of two Kuki-Zo civilians from Taphou Kuki village.
The two youths, who went missing on October 28, were found dead in neighbouring Senapati district on November 1. Their deaths had triggered a shutdown in Kangpokpi.
COTU has demanded that Taphou Kuki village be brought under the jurisdiction of Kangpokpi district police instead of the present Senapati district police station.
Manipur Police ADGP (Law and Order) Lhari Dorjee Lhatoo said on Tuesday that a proposal to transfer the double-murder case to the National Investigation Agency was at an advanced stage.
Chief Minister Y. Khemchand Singh visited Taphou Kuki village on Tuesday and assured the victims' families of government support.
In a separate incident near Sinakeithei in Ukhrul district, suspected militants opened fire on farmers harvesting paddy, injuring a man in his right shoulder.
Security forces evacuated the injured man to the district hospital and moved other farmers to safety.
