Guwahati: Four members of the Kuki-Zo community were killed in two separate suspected militant attacks in Manipur on Sunday, according to community-based organisations.
The state government had not issued an immediate statement on the incidents. Officials confirmed that the attacks took place but said details were not available.
Couple Among Those Killed
The first incident occurred early in the morning at Tollen village in Tamenglong district, the organisations said. Seineh Singsit and his wife, Lhingzangai, were attacked, while their six-year-old son suffered a bullet injury.
Lhingzangai died at the site of the attack. Singsit was taken to a hospital but later died of his injuries. A bullet was reportedly still lodged in the child’s body.
The Kuki Inpi Jiribam, Tamenglong and Noney districts, commonly referred to as Kuki Inpi JTN, condemned the attack and alleged that suspected Naga insurgents were responsible.
“This inhuman act is not merely an attack on one family; it is an affront to humanity itself. Kuki Inpi JTN stands in solidarity with the bereaved family and calls for justice to be delivered without delay,” the organisation said in a statement.
The organisation also raised questions about the security arrangements in the area, saying the attack took place just a few hundred metres from where central security forces were stationed.
“While Kuki Inpi JTN does not question the capabilities of the central security forces, the circumstances raise serious concerns regarding how such an attack could occur in such close proximity to their deployment,” the statement said.
Two Killed In Ambush
The second attack took place several hours later at Longpi village in Noney district, where three people carrying rice were allegedly ambushed.
Julie Gangte and Thangroel Gangte were killed on the spot, while the third member of the group, a woman, was feared to have been abducted. She was still missing, the organisations said.
The Western Village Volunteers of Jiribam, Tamenglong and Noney alleged that cadres of the National Socialist Council of Nagalim-Isak Muivah (NSCN-IM) and the Zeliangrong United Front (Kamson) carried out the attack, as reported by The New Indian Express.
The group condemned the alleged violence against civilians and demanded that the perpetrators be identified, arrested and brought to justice within 24 hours. It warned that a failure to act swiftly would compel it to “unleash all its anger against the perpetrators.”
The allegations could not be independently verified, and no militant organisation had claimed responsibility for the attacks.
The incidents took place despite repeated appeals for restraint by Chief Minister Yumnam Khemchand Singh. In recent months, Singh has travelled to several districts and met Kuki-Zo and Naga leaders as part of the government’s attempts to restore peace in the violence-hit state.
Meanwhile, the Manipur government on Sunday urged protesters seeking the updating of the National Register of Citizens before the Census to withdraw their call for shutting government offices.
The government said the continued closure of offices would create further difficulties for the public and affect the delivery of essential services.