Imphal/Guwahati:
Four people from the Naga tribes were shot dead by unidentified insurgents in Manipur’s Kangpokpi district today. A fifth man was injured and another was missing, officials said. The ambush happened at 8.30 am on a key road that connects Naga villages in the district.
One of the men who was shot dead was a school principal, Naga tribe organisations said in statements.
The attack happened despite efforts by the government and civil groups to bring peace in Manipur amid the demand by a few Kuki groups – supported by two dozen insurgent outfits that signed the suspension of operations (SoO) agreement – for a separate administration by dividing Manipur’s territory.
The Manipur Police have not yet named the attackers.
A meeting today that included Chief Minister Yumnam Khemchand Singh, other state ministers, bureaucrats and security force officers decided that “cadres of outfits under the SoO or peace talks with the government carrying weapons beyond their designated camps would be dealt seriously and face action,” the Manipur government said in a statement.
Singh has ordered the security forces to search and neutralise the attackers, the state government said.
“The meeting discussed in detail today’s unfortunate incident in Kangpokpi district, in which four innocent civilians were gunned down mercilessly. The government condemned the incident in the strongest terms,” it said.
Today’s meeting was held to mark the end of a 15-day deadline announced by Singh on August 12 for civilians to hand over illegally held weapons to the police.
Following the killings today, the Naga People’s Organisation (NPO) has called for immediate closure of all shops and businesses in Senapati district. Other Naga organisations condemned the killings.
In June, Kuki Zo Council (KZC) chairman Henlienthang Thanglet had apologised for the killing of six Naga civilians and called for an impartial investigation into all acts of violence linked to the Manipur ethnic crisis.
“I admit the Kuki-Zo people made a grave mistake in killing the six Naga civilians. It was done out of emotion. I strongly condemn it. I am very sorry and apologise on behalf of my people,” he had said.
Six members of the Naga tribes were taken hostage from a village in Kangpokpi district on May 13. Their bodies were recovered on June 10 near a Kuki settlement. Before that, Kuki groups had said 14 members of their tribes were killed and several houses were burnt in clashes with the Nagas in February.
The Kuki-Naga ethnic conflict that began in 1992 and lasted six years had taken the lives of over 1,000 people. The 2023 Kuki-Meitei violence claimed over 260 lives.
