Three Kuki Villagers, Including Two Women, Killed In Manipur, Houses Set Ablaze, CM Condemns

Guwahati: At least three villagers from the Kuki community, including two women, were shot dead and four others injured when unidentified armed assailants attacked N. Teikhang village in Manipur’s Kangpokpi district on Monday. Several houses were also set on fire during the assault.

The incident occurred in the T. Waichong subdivision along the Imphal–Tamenglong (IT) Road. Police said the armed miscreants opened fire on villagers. The deceased have been identified as Tingneichin Lhouvum (40), Hoineineng Lhoujem (21) and Lamtinthang Lhoujem (36). The injured are Nemneichong Lhoujem (50), Seilun Lhoujem (70), Deilhing Haokip (55) and Kamtinsei Chongloi (38). Some of the injured were reported to be in critical condition.

Kangpokpi Superintendent of Police Abhinav confirmed the deaths and injuries. He said that police are investigating all aspects of the incident and have yet to identify the assailants. Security forces are continuing operations in and around the area. Villagers, including women and children, fled their homes and took shelter in nearby forests amid the firing and arson.

The Twilang Area Kuki CSO Working Committee condemned the attack as “unprovoked” and “barbaric.” In a statement, it alleged that around 50 heavily armed cadres of the NSCN-IM and ZUF-K carried out the assault, firing indiscriminately at civilians and setting houses ablaze. The committee demanded an immediate, independent and impartial investigation into the alleged involvement of these groups and the arrest and prosecution of those responsible. The Kuki Students’ Organisation (KSO), Twilang Block, also condemned the killings and called for increased deployment of central forces, emergency medical care and relief for the affected families.

The attack took place just four days after four Naga civilians, including a school principal, were killed in an alleged ambush by armed miscreants along the same IT Road corridor in Kangpokpi district. Tensions between Kuki and Naga communities have escalated in parts of the hill districts since earlier this year, against the broader backdrop of ethnic conflict in the state that began in 2023.

Manipur Chief Minister Yumnam Khemchand Singh, who is currently in New Delhi, strongly condemned the killings in a social media post. “I strongly condemn the killing of three villagers, including two women and the injuries sustained by four others, including two women at N. Teikhang village in Kangpokpi district today. I convey my deepest condolences to the bereaved families. The Government will not tolerate such violence. The culprits responsible for the killing will be arrested and punished as per the law of the land,” he said.