Suspected Manipur militants gun down four in 2 districts; CM terms attacks on civilians 'cowardly'

IMPHAL: At least four people including two women were killed when suspected militants attacked their villages in Manipur's Tamenglong and Noney districts on Sunday, police said.

The Tamenglong incident occurred at about 4 am leaving two persons dead, while the second one that took place around 12 hours later also claimed two lives.

Chief Minister Y Khemchand Singh expressed deep anguish over the killings, saying that violence against innocent civilians is a cowardly act and unacceptable.

The killings coincided with "Sahnit Ni" of "Black Day", which is observed annually on September 13 by the Kuki community in Manipur to remember the victims of ethnic violence during the Kuki–Naga conflict in the state in the 1990s.

A woman, identified as Lhingngai Singsit, was killed, and her husband Seineih Singsit and infant son were injured in their residence when suspected militants attacked Tollen Kuki village, located near NH-37, which connects Imphal with Jiribam.

Following the incident, security forces reached the village and provided medical assistance to the injured, police said.

Seineih later succumbed to his injuries on the way to a hospital at Silchar in neighbouring Assam, officials said.

The Kaimai Village Authority condemned the attack, describing it as a "deliberate and malicious attempt to create disharmony and division among communities".

In a statement, the village authority urged the administration to conduct an impartial investigation, identify those responsible and bring them to justice.

In the second incident, a woman and a man were shot dead by armed militants at Longpi village under Nungba Police Station limits around 3:30 pm.

The deceased were identified as Julie Gangte and R Gangte, police said.

In a statement issued by the Chief Minister's Office, Singh condemned the killings.

"Such cowardly acts of violence against innocent civilians are unacceptable and have no place in our society," the CM said and extended condolences to the grieving families.

BJP leader and former chief minister N Biren Singh and Naga Peoples' Front legislator Awangbou Newmai condemned the killing of Lhingjangai.

In a social media post, Singh said the incident at Tollen Kuki village is "deeply disturbing and heartbreaking".

"The safety and security of innocent civilians must remain our foremost concern. Such violence only adds to the suffering of ordinary people and further undermines the fragile path towards peace," he said.

In a statement, Newmai said, "Targeting unarmed men, women and children is a cowardly act that has no place in civilised society."

The ethnic conflict that erupted in May 2023 between the valley-based Meitei and the hill-based Kuki communities has claimed at least 306 lives, with 49 individuals remaining missing and thousands left homeless.