GUWAHATI: A Meitei man was shot dead after abduction by suspected Kuki militants in Manipur’s Churachandpur district, dealing a severe blow to ongoing peace efforts.
The ethnic violence-hit state did not report such an incident in the past many months. It came amid rising speculation about the possible formation of the government in the state which has been under President’s rule since February 13 last year.
According to reports, the deceased, Mayanglambam Rishikanta Singh, was abducted, along with his Kuki wife Chingnu Haokip, from their home in the Tuibong area of Churachandpur district on Wednesday. He was shot dead later. The woman was let off. The man was originally from Kakching Khunou in the Imphal valley.
A video, purportedly of the incident, has gone viral on social media. The video without audio shows a man sitting on the ground and pleading before individuals, who are not seen in the video, for something with folded hands. A burst of fire followed moments later and the body lay on the ground.
The police recovered the body from the Natjang village past midnight and transported it to the morgue of Churachandpur district hospital. A case was registered suo motu.
The United Kuki National Army, which has not signed the Suspension of Operations (SoO) agreement, is suspected to be involved in the incident. About two dozen Kuki insurgent groups had earlier signed the tripartite SoO agreement with Manipur and central governments.
The deceased took up a tribal name, Ginminthang, following his marriage. Reports suggest that he was employed in Nepal and returned home only three days ago.
The ethnic violence had internally partitioned the Meiteis and the Kukis. Despite ethnic tensions and differences, some Kuki groups reportedly allowed the deceased to stay with his wife.
Over 260 people were killed and an estimated 60,000 others displaced in the bloody ethnic violence. A vast majority of the displaced people are still lodged in relief camps.