GUWAHATI: Four persons from the Kuki-Zo community were killed in two suspected militant attacks in Manipur on Sunday, Kuki-Zo organisations said.
The state government did not immediately react to the incidents. Officials confirmed the incidents but could not share further details.
The Kuki-Zo organisations said the first attack was carried out at dawn at the Tollen village in Tamenglong district, in which one Seineh Singsit and his wife Lhingzangai were killed and their six-year-old son was injured. A bullet is reportedly still lodged inside the minor’s body.
The woman died on the spot, while her husband succumbed to his injuries at a hospital.
According to the Kuki-Zo organisations, three persons transporting rice were ambushed at Longpi village in Noney district in the second attack carried out hours later.
Two of them, identified as Julie Gangte and Thangroel Gangte, were killed on the spot. Another woman from the same group was feared to have been abducted and remained missing.
The Kuki-Zo organisations alleged that the attacks were perpetrated by the members of Naga insurgent groups.
The Kuki Inpi (Jiribam, Tamenglong and Noney districts) or Kuki Inpi JTN condemned the first attack and alleged that it was carried out by suspected Naga insurgents.
“This inhuman act is not merely an attack on one family; it is an affront to humanity itself. Kuki Inpi JTN stands in solidarity with the bereaved family and calls for justice to be delivered without delay,” the Kuki Inpi JTN said in a statement.
The organisation further said it was deeply concerning that the attack occurred only a few hundred metres from security forces stationed in the area.
“While Kuki Inpi JTN does not question the capabilities of the central security forces, the circumstances raise serious concerns regarding how such an attack could occur in such close proximity to their deployment,” the statement said.
The Western Village Volunteer (Jiribam, Tamenglong and Noney) alleged that the second attack was carried out by rebel groups National Socialist Council of Nagalim or NSCN-IM and Zeliangrong United Front (Kamson).
The organisation condemned the violence against civilians and demanded that the perpetrators be identified, apprehended, and brought to justice within 24 hours. It warned that failing to ensure timely justice would compel it to “unleash all its anger against the perpetrators.”
The violence in Manipur has continued despite repeated appeals by Chief Minister Yumnam Khemchand Singh to exercise restraint. As part of the government’s efforts to restore peace in the restive state, Singh undertook a series of visits to different districts in recent months and met Kuki-Zo and Naga leaders.
Meanwhile, the state government on Sunday called upon protestors, demanding the closure of government offices over the updating of the National Register of Citizens, not to add to the hardships faced by the public.