Two Kuki-Zo women were shot dead in Leisangphai in Tamenglong-Jiribam area, prompting condemnation from the KZC and demands for action against those responsible.
Imphal, Sept. 15: Two Kuki-Zo women were reportedly shot dead at their farm in Leisangphai village in the Jiribam-Tamenglong region on Tuesday, in another deadly incident targeting civilians amid continuing violence in the area.
The victims were identified by the Kuki-Zo Council (KZC) as Phalneichong alias Chonga Sitlhou, 60, and Kimjalhing alias Kimneo Singson, 28. Reports said the two women were at their farm gathering firewood when the attackers opened fire. Both women sustained gunshot injuries and died in the attack.
According to local accounts cited in media reports, several farmhouses in the area were also set on fire following the shooting. The extent of damage and whether any other people were injured or remain unaccounted for was not immediately clear.
Singson was reportedly a recent nursing graduate who had returned home and was helping her parents with farming activities.
The attack occurred amid continuing violence in the Jiribam-Tamenglong region. Reports have described the assailants as unidentified armed men, while allegations regarding the involvement of Naga armed groups have also emerged. The identity of the attackers had not been independently established at the time of reporting.
Security forces and local authorities were reported to be assessing the situation in the area. Further details, including the circumstances surrounding the attack and the identities of those responsible, are awaited.
According to the KZC, Chonga Sitlhou was gathering firewood at her farm when she was shot dead. Kimneo Singson, who had recently completed a nursing course and returned home to help her parents with farming, was also killed at the same location.
Both women were unarmed and engaged in routine civilian activities when they were attacked, the KZC said.
The KZC alleged that cadres of the NSCN-IM and ZUF-K were responsible for the killings. The allegation could not be independently verified.
The killings came barely a day after four Kuki-Zo civilians, including two women, were killed in separate incidents in Tamenglong and Noney districts, according to the KZC.
The council condemned the latest killings, saying repeated attacks on Kuki-Zo civilians could no longer be treated as isolated incidents. It described the deaths as part of what it called an escalating pattern of attacks and raised concerns that civilians were being targeted to create fear and drive communities away from their settlements.
The KZC called on the Government of India and the Manipur government to protect vulnerable civilians, identify and prosecute those responsible and take lawful action against armed groups accused of attacking civilians.
The council also announced a significant protest measure following the latest killings. In a public notice issued on Tuesday, the KZC directed that, with immediate effect, no Kuki-Zo person killed by Naga armed groups in Manipur should be buried until further notice.
Under the directive, the mortal remains of victims are to be preserved in the nearest available cold-storage facility until further instructions from the council. The KZC said the decision was intended as a collective protest against continued killings and what it described as a failure to ensure justice and accountability.
The council directed civil society organisations in Kuki-Zo districts to implement the resolution and cooperate with its enforcement.
The Kuki Inpi Manipur (KIM) also condemned what it described as a coordinated attack, arson and destruction targeting the Kuki-Zo villages of Teikhang and Lenglong in Noney district.
In a statement issued on Tuesday, the KIM alleged that the attacks were carried out by what it described as Tangkhul-led factions of the NSCN (Muivah) and ZUF-K. The organisation characterised the incidents as part of a broader campaign of displacement and alleged that the groups were seeking to advance an expansionist “Greater Nagalim” agenda.
Those allegations have not been independently established.
The KIM accused the government of failing to adequately protect Kuki-Zo villages and said the continuing attacks represented a serious internal security concern.
It called on the Central government to intervene, take action against NSCN-Muivah and what it described as its proxies, and initiate what it termed a constitutional process for a Union Territory with a Legislature for the Kuki-Zo people.
The organisation also appealed to the national and international media to report what it described as attacks and displacement affecting Kuki-Zo communities.
The latest killings add to a series of attacks reported from the Jiribam-Tamenglong belt in recent days. Details of the latest incident, including the identities of the attackers and the full extent of casualties or damage, were still emerging on Tuesday.
Security authorities have yet to publicly establish responsibility for the killing of the two women.
