IMPHAL, Nov 12: A Kuki woman was killed and a man injured in firing between two suspected rival militant groups in Manipur's Kangpokpi district on Thursday, officials said.
The firing took place at around 11 am between Taphou Kuki village in Kangpokpi district and the Keilenzang area in adjoining Senapati district.
The woman, identified as Nengboi Chonglo, was working in a nearby field when she was hit by a bullet. She was carrying a pair of scissors, sources said.
Local residents and security personnel later recovered her body. The injured man was taken to a private hospital in Kangpokpi district. His condition was not known.
The incident came after the bodies of two Kuki youths, who had gone missing from near Taphou Kuki village on October 28, were recovered in Senapati district on November 1.
The Kangpokpi-based Committee on Tribal Unity had launched protests following the recovery of the bodies. It demanded that Taphou Kuki village be brought under the jurisdiction of Kangpokpi district police instead of Senapati district police.
Additional Director General of Police (Law and Order) Lhari Dorje Lhatoo had said on Tuesday that a proposal to hand over the case of the two youths' abduction and killing to the National Investigation Agency was at an advanced stage.
Ethnic violence between the Meitei and Kuki communities, which began in May 2023, continued to affect Manipur's security situation.
