4 killed in two separate attacks on Kuki settlements in Manipur

Four people, including two women, were killed and few others injured in two separate attacks on remote Kuki settlements in Manipur’s Tamenglong district on Sunday. In Longpi village, two people, including a woman, were killed in an alleged attack by unidentified armed miscreants.

The incident took place around 3 pm when a group of three villagers were returning home with essential commodities. The deceased have been identified as Julie Singson and Thangvel (Roel) Gangte. The third person, a woman, is feared missing.

In a statement, Western Village Volunteers (WVV) said that following the killings, the attackers allegedly advanced towards the village centre but were confronted and driven back after a fierce engagement. Claiming that Julie was an expecting mother, the group termed the attack an “intolerable assault on humanity”, particularly to the Kuki-Zo community.

Elsewhere, in Tollen village, a woman and her husband were killed and their son seriously injured in another alleged attack by unidentified armed miscreants. The incident took place around 4 am. The deceased has been identified as Lhingjangai Singsit and Seineh Singsit.

Responding to the incident, Assam Rifles personnel from the Kaimai base rescued the injured to Jiribam for urgent medical treatment. Seineh succumbed to injuries later. The incidents assume significance given that they occurred on Black Day (September 13), which is observed by the Kuki community as an annual day of mourning to commemorate the loss of lives during the Kuki-Naga ethnic conflict in the early 1990s.

Moreover, they have also raised fresh concerns over the safety of civilians living along NH-37 amid the ongoing conflict in Manipur. Tollen village is along this sensitive corridor, which connects Imphal and Jiribam. Kuki Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) in Manipur condemned the attacks and called for an immediate, impartial and thorough investigation into the incident.

They have also demanded that those responsible be identified and prosecuted on the basis of credible evidence and due process. Meanwhile, the Kaimai Naga Village Authority has also condemned the attacks, describing the perpetrators as an unidentified group and expressing concern that the incident could create suspicion and division among communities living in the region.

The Village Authority also urged all communities to exercise restraint, and community leaders and CSOs to reaffirm peace and understanding. The Kuki settlements of Tollen and Longpi are in the Tousem and Nungba sub-divisions of Manipur’s Tamenglong district.

Kaimai, also in Tamenglong, is only a few kilometres away, and is predominantly inhabited by the Naga people. In a statement, Saikul MLA Kimneo Haokip Hangshing said, “I express my strongest and unequivocal condemnation of the barbaric and cold-blooded killing of innocent civilians, including women and children, in two separate incidents perpetrated today by armed civilians.” “These merciless acts of violence against unarmed and innocent civilians are not only inhuman and reprehensible, but also constitute a grave assault on the sanctity of human life, peace, and the very principles of civilized society,” she said.

“The deliberate targeting of women, children and defenseless civilians is an act of cowardice that deserves the strongest condemnation from all sections of society. No cause, ideology, or grievance can ever justify such heinous crimes against innocent lives,” her statement further read.

Meanwhile, Henglep MLA Letzamang Haokip, too, condemned the attack. He said, “The loss of innocent lives is a grave tragedy and a deeply disturbing reminder of the persistent insecurity faced by our people. Such violence against unarmed civilians is wholly unacceptable and must not be allowed to continue.”