IMPHAL, Nov 12: A Kuki woman was killed and two men were injured after unidentified armed men opened fire near Taphou Kuki village on Thursday, officials and a tribal body said. The incident occurred amid protests over the abduction and killing of two Kuki-Zo men from the village last month.

The firing took place at about 11 am in fields near the village, close to the Kangpokpi-Senapati district border. Police launched an investigation to establish the source of the firing and identify those responsible.

At a glance

  • A woman died in the firing near Taphou Kuki village.
  • Two men sustained bullet injuries, according to police and the tribal body.
  • The victims were harvesting paddy when they were attacked, the tribal body said.
  • The village falls under Senapati police station, though it is closer to Kangpokpi district.

What happened

The deceased was identified as Kimneineng Chongloi, 40, the wife of Thanggou Chongloi and a resident of Taphou Kuki village, police said. The Committee on Tribal Unity (CoTU) gave her age as 41.

The injured were identified as Sehngam Chongloi, also known as David, and Lamkhochon Chongloi, police said. CoTU identified the second injured man as Lamchon Chongloi. Both were residents of the village and were undergoing treatment at Kangpokpi District Hospital, police said.

Villagers ran from the fields after the firing triggered panic, accounts from the area said. One account described the incident as a gunfight between rival suspected militant groups. Police said the circumstances of the firing were not immediately clear.

An earlier account said one man was injured and identified the woman who died as Nengboi Chongloi. Police and CoTU later named Kimneineng Chongloi as the deceased and said two men had been injured.

Who said what

CoTU said the three villagers were harvesting paddy when armed men attacked them. It said the killing had deepened the distress of residents following the deaths of two men from the same village.

The Kangpokpi-based organisation alleged that the Manipur and Central governments had failed to address the security concerns of the Kuki-Zo people. It said its charter of demands set out steps to prevent further violence and address security failures.

CoTU said it would review its decision on the agitation and determine its next course if its demands were not addressed. It held the two governments responsible for any consequences of a continued failure to protect civilians and ensure justice.

Police said the investigation was under way. There was no immediate response from the Manipur or Central government to CoTU's allegations.

Background

CoTU had organised a sit-in demonstration at the Kangpokpi district headquarters, describing the official response to its charter of demands as unsatisfactory. It demanded that Taphou Kuki village be brought under the jurisdiction of Kangpokpi district police instead of Senapati police station.

The protest followed the disappearance of Paoginlal Hangshing, 20, and Tinginlun Chongloi, 20, from near the village on October 28. Their bodies were found on November 1 in neighbouring Senapati district, east of National Highway-2 along SP Road.

The deaths prompted CoTU to call a total shutdown in Kangpokpi district and led to protests in the area. Chief Minister Yumnam Khemchand Singh visited Taphou Kuki village a few days before Thursday's firing.

Additional Director General of Police Lhari Dorjee Lhatoo had said on Tuesday that a proposal to transfer the earlier case to the National Investigation Agency was at an advanced stage and that necessary orders were awaited. The state government later handed over the case to the agency.

Why it matters for Assam and the Northeast

The firing occurred near National Highway-2, which links Kangpokpi and Senapati districts and is an important road corridor in Manipur. Residents cautioned travellers against using the affected stretch after the incident.

The episode also highlighted the dispute over policing jurisdiction in a border area where residents have sought greater security arrangements following the recent killings.

What next

Police were expected to continue their inquiry into the firing, including whether it involved armed groups and how many people were injured. CoTU said it would decide its subsequent course of action after reviewing the government's response to its demands.