GUWAHATI: Unidentified assailants ambushed a car in Manipur’s Kuki-majority Churachandpur district on June 30, killing a rebel leader and his two bodyguards. An elderly woman also lost her life in the incident after being hit by a stray bullet.
The incident occurred at around 2 pm on the Jesami Road near Mongjang village, around 10 km from Churachandpur town.
All the bodies were sent to a hospital for postmortem. Thahpi Haokip, deputy commander-in-chief of Kuki National Army (KNA), was travelling in the car along with his two bodyguards when they were ambushed.
According to preliminary reports, the assailants fired a barrage of shots a close range. Over a dozen empty shells were recovered from the spot. The incident is believed to be related to a factional feud. No group has so far claimed responsibility for the attack.
Security personnel rushed to the area after the incident, amidst fears about the escalation of the situation. The KNA is the armed group of the Kuki National Organisation. It is one of around 25 Kuki rebel groups that signed the suspension of operations agreement with the central government earlier.
Manipur has been under President’s rule since February this year but sporadic incidents of violence have continued.
The All India Trinamool Congress slammed the central government on the Manipur situation. “…Manipur didn’t fall apart on its own. Delhi broke it. And now Delhi looks away. No amount of PR can whitewash this blood,” the party posted on X after Monday’s killings.
Meanwhile, the leaders of three Imphal Valley-based organisations -- All Manipur United Clubs’ Organisation, Coordinating Committee on Manipur Integrity and Federation of Civil Society Organisations -- held a meeting with officials of the Ministry of Home Affairs in New Delhi on June 30.
The issues on the agenda included the reopening of highways, security of farmers and their agricultural lands, and the resettlement and rehabilitation of displaced people.
The ethnic conflict between Meiteis and Kukis, which broke out on May 3, 2023, had left over 250 people dead and some 60,000 others displaced.