- Three Meitei men killed; two Kuki militants arrested Monday.
- Weapon cache recovered after arrests; Kuki-Zo man killed Tuesday.
- SoO camp search detained 17; tribal body began shutdown.
Manipur witnessed another fatal shooting on Tuesday after a 45-year-old Kuki-Zo man was killed by armed assailants in Kangpokpi district, a day after an ambush in neighbouring Imphal East claimed the lives of three Meitei men. The back-to-back killings have added to tensions in the violence-hit state.
Bamboo Shoot Gathering Ends In Fatal Shooting
The latest incident occurred around 8 am near P Molding village, where the victim, identified by police as Paolen Khongsai, had gone into a forest with a companion to collect bamboo shoots. Armed assailants opened fire, killing Khongsai at the spot. His companion, Laldenga, escaped unharmed. Police registered a case at Leimakhong Police Station to investigate the incident, as per reports.
However, the P Muolding village authority identified the deceased as Paolenmung Thangeo. Describing him as an unarmed civilian, the village body alleged that Naga militants were responsible for the shooting.
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Monday’s Ambush Leaves Imphal East On Edge
The killing came less than a day after suspected Kuki militants ambushed a group near Nongsum Hills in Imphal East district. Three Meitei men were killed and as many others injured in the attack. This prompted a shutdown across the Imphal valley in protest.
ADGP (law and order) Lhari Dorje said two of the three men arrested in connection with Monday’s ambush had admitted their involvement. Investigators are still examining the role of the third accused. Manipur Police identified the arrested men as cadres of the Kuki National Front (N), an organisation that is not part of the tripartite Suspension of Operations (SoO) agreement with the Centre and the state government.
Security Forces Recover Weapons And Explosives
Information obtained during the interrogation of the arrested men led security forces to recover a substantial cache of weapons and ammunition. The seized firearms included INSAS, M16, AK-47, Type 81, sniper and Heckler & Koch rifles.
The recovery also comprised three 12-bore guns, a lethode gun, a locally manufactured rocket launcher and 1,095 rounds of ammunition.
Security personnel additionally seized TNT slabs, rifle grenades, Chinese-made hand grenades, crude mortars and three detonators.
Seventeen Detained During Search Of SoO Camp
In a separate operation on Tuesday, personnel from Manipur Police, CRPF, COBRA, Assam Rifles and the NSF searched the area around Sinai, a designated SoO camp.
According to Dorje, 17 people were detained after their identities failed to match the official lists of cadres belonging to the KNO and KNA groups.
Authorities also found that ammunition and magazines were missing from the camp. Verification is under way to establish whether the missing items are linked to the weapons recovered during the security operations.
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Tribal Body Announces Shutdown In Kangpokpi
The Committee on Tribal Unity, Kangpokpi, announced a 24-hour total shutdown beginning at midnight on Tuesday. The organisation condemned Thangeo’s killing and criticised the arrests of three Kuki-Zo men, describing them as “indiscriminate”.
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