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India Today
8 hours ago
- India Today
Kuki woman killed in crossfire, farmer injured, protests erupt in Manipur
A woman from the Kuki community was killed in a crossfire between security forces and suspected Kuki militants in Chingphei village of Churachandpur district on Thursday, shortly after a gun attack left a Meitei farmer injured in neighbouring Phubala village of Bishnupur district. The incident has reignited ethnic tensions in the region and triggered protests from both Meitei and Kuki to official sources, the firing began around 3:30 p.m. on Thursday after armed miscreants allegedly opened fire at Phubala, a low-lying agricultural village situated along the Bishnupur-Churachandpur assailants, reportedly positioned in the adjoining hills, fired multiple rounds at farmers working in the fields. Sixty-year-old Ningthoujam Biren, a Meitei farmer, was hit in the left arm and was rushed to Bishnupur District Hospital. Speaking from his hospital bed, Biren said, 'I was working in the fields when I heard five gunshots. One of them hit me. We couldn't even see who fired.' Following the attack, security forces launched an area domination operation in nearby Chingphei village, which led to an encounter with suspected militants. During the exchange of fire, a woman identified as Hoikholhing Haokip, wife of Khaikhogin Haokip, the village chief of Langchingmanbi in Churachandpur, was struck by a stray bullet. She was rushed to Churachandpur District Hospital but succumbed to her injuries authorities have not released an official statement on the circumstances surrounding her death, they confirmed that the situation remains tense in both districts. Additional state and central forces have been deployed to prevent further violence and maintain response to the Phubala firing, angry villagers imposed a local bandh, demanding stronger protection for farmers in vulnerable border areas. Women from Phubala also issued an ultimatum to the Governor, Chief Secretary, and Director General of Police, demanding identification and action against the perpetrators by 11 a.m. on Friday, June 21. They warned of a statewide shutdown if their demands are not the death of Hoikholhing Haokip has drawn sharp criticism from Kuki civil society organisations. The Indigenous Tribal Leaders' Forum (ITLF) condemned the incident, calling it 'yet another targeted assault aimed at the cleansing of the Kuki-Zo minority.'The ITLF announced an indefinite shutdown across Kuki-dominated areas as a protest and period of mourning. They also demanded immediate action against those responsible, Central government intervention to protect tribal lives, and an independent investigation into alleged violations of buffer Kuki Women's Organisation for Human Rights (KWOHR) echoed these concerns, calling for the immediate arrest of those involved in Hoikholhing's death and a judicial probe into the incident. The group also called for accountability over all recent buffer zone developments come amid ongoing ethnic unrest in Manipur, which has witnessed recurring violence and clashes since May 2023 between Kuki and Meitei communities. Just days earlier, on June 15, another confrontation erupted in Leitanpokpi, Imphal East, over disputed farmland, further highlighting the fragile peace in the both communities mourn their respective losses and express their anger, the threat of more unrest looms large unless effective measures are taken to de-escalate tensions and ensure safety for civilians in vulnerable Watch
The Hindu
15 hours ago
- The Hindu
Woman killed in fresh Manipur violence
A Kuki woman was killed in Manipur's Churachandpur district on Thursday (June 19, 2025), a day after suspected extremists fired at and injured a Meitei farmer in the adjoining Bishnupur district. There were no official statements on either incident, but the Kuki Women's Organisation for Human Rights (KWOHR) blamed the death of Hoikholhing Haokip of Langchingmanbi village on Meitei militants. In the afternoon of June 18, a man identified as Ningthoujam Biren was injured after suspected Kuki extremists fired at farmers on the border between Bishnupur and Churachandpur districts. Eyewitnesses said Mr. Biren and two other farmers were working on a paddy field at Phubala in Bishnupur district when five rounds were fired at them from a hillock in the adjoining Churachandpur district. 'He was taken to the district hospital after a bullet struck his left forearm,' a villager said. The Phubala villagers slammed the government for failing to ensure the security of the farmers working close to the vulnerable 'buffer zone', which separates the Meitei-dominated Imphal Valley from the surrounding hills where the Kuki-Zos are in the majority. After the incident, angry Bishnupur locals blocked a highway leading to Churachandpur, demanding action against armed Kuki fighters. A women's group threatened a total shutdown across the Imphal Valley from Friday (June 20, 2025) if top State government officials did not visit the affected area. In a statement, the KWOHR condemned the killing of Ms. Haokip allegedly by Meitei militants. 'Despite the presence of a government-declared buffer zone intended to prevent clashes between Meitei and Kuki communities, Meitei militants have repeatedly violated and crossed the buffer line, provoking tensions and directly endangering the lives of innocent civilians,' it said. The organisation demanded the immediate arrest and punishment of the perpetrators of the crime, strict enforcement of the buffer zone with equal accountability on both sides, deployment of neutral Central forces to ensure peace and a judicial inquiry into this incident as well as all recent buffer zone violations. This was the second incident involving farmers working on fields along the buffer zone. On June 15, a confrontation between Kuki and Meitei villagers on the border between Imphal East and Kangpokpi districts sparked tension. According to the Manipur police, the Kukis objected to Meitei farmers working on a paddy field they claimed as theirs. Shooting at farmers working on fields along the buffer zone used to be frequent after the ethnic conflict between the Meitei and Kuki-Zo people broke out on May 3, 2023. Such incidents have not been reported after Manipur came under the President's Rule on February 13. The ethnic conflict left more than 250 people dead and some 60,000 others displaced.
Hindustan Times
15 hours ago
- Hindustan Times
Elderly Kuki woman killed in cross firing between security forces, armed men in Manipur
Imphal/Churachandpur, An elderly Kuki-Zo woman was killed in crossfire between security forces and armed men in Manipur's Churachandpur district on Thursday, police said. The incident happened when security forces launched a search operation after a Meitei farmer received gunshot wounds while working in the fields in the valley district of Bishnupur after shots were fired from the surrounding hills, they said. According to police, security personnel moved into Langchingmanbi, Heichanglok, and adjoining areas in search of the attackers. "During the course of the operation, security forces came under fire from unknown armed men and retaliated accordingly," police said. Amidst the exchange of fire, the woman, identified as Hoikholhing, wife of Langchingmanbi village chief, was found dead with a bullet injury, police said. Her body was taken to Churachandpur District Hospital for post-mortem examination. Police said a case has been registered, and investigations are ongoing. Combined security forces are continuing search operations in the region. "Every effort is being made to bring the culprits to justice at the earliest," officials said, urging the public to maintain peace and avoid circulating unverified information. Condemning the incident, the Kuki Women Organisation for Human Rights termed the incident "brutal" and "a grim reminder of the ongoing ethnic cleansing and targeted violence" against the community. In a statement by its information and publicity department, KWOHR alleged that the woman was "shot dead by Meitei militants". "The horrific killing of Hoikholhing is not an isolated act of violence, but part of a systematic and targeted campaign against the Kuki people," the group stated. Meanwhile, the Indigenous Tribal Leaders' Forum declared an indefinite shutdown in Churachandpur in protest against the killing of the woman. In a strongly worded press release, the ITLF said the shutdown would serve as a mark of mourning and protest. Earlier during the day, a farmer was shot at while he was working in the fields in the same area after armed men allegedly opened fire from the surrounding hills, officials said. Ningthoujam Biren, who was admitted to a hospital with gunshot wounds, said, "I was working in the fields when five rounds were fired." Farmers, who were working with him, claimed that the shots were fired from the nearby hills, according to officials. Located on the periphery of the Imphal valley, the vast farmlands of Phubala are surrounded by the hills in Churachandpur district on one side. Protesting the incident, locals called a shutdown in Phubala. The movement of security forces was blocked in some areas of the district, they said. Over 250 people have been killed after ethnic clashes broke out between the Meiteis, who live in the valley, and Kukis, who dominate the surrounding hills, in May 2023.
New Indian Express
16 hours ago
- New Indian Express
Kuki woman shot dead, Meitei farmer injured in fresh Manipur violence
GUWAHATI: In fresh violence in Manipur, a Kuki woman was shot dead while a Meitei farmer sustained bullet wounds on Thursday. Ningthoujam Biren, the farmer, was injured when a bullet fired by alleged Kuki militants hit him in his left forearm. The incident occurred at Phubala in Bishnupur district of the Imphal Valley at around 3:15 p.m. when Biren was working in his field along with two other farmers. The Meitei-majority Bishnupur district adjoins the Kuki-majority Churachandpur district. The injured man, who was rushed to a hospital, said he had heard the sound of five gunshots. Following the incident, angry locals blocked a highway leading to Churachandpur district. They suspected the involvement of Kuki militants and demanded action against them.
Time of India
16 hours ago
- Politics
- Time of India
Farmer injured in firing by unidentified miscreants in Manipur's Bishnupur
In Manipur, a farmer was shot and injured in Bishnupur district, amidst ongoing tensions following an obstruction of Meitei farmers by Kuki villagers. Police have arrested nine individuals, including members of Arambai Tenggol, related to the death of a differently abled man. Tired of too many ads? Remove Ads Tired of too many ads? Remove Ads Guwahati: A farmer was injured when fired by unidentified miscreants near the foothill areas of Bishnupur district in farmer is identified as Ningthoujam Biren. A senior police officer said that the incident took place around 3:15 Pm when the farmers were working in their paddy June 15 there was tension started in the Pukhao Leitanpokpi area in Imphal East district after Meitei farmers attempting to cultivate their paddy fields at Sadu Lampak were reportedly obstructed by villagers from Songfel, a Kuki village in Kangpokpi police have arrested nine individuals, including six members of the radical Meitei outfit Arambai Tenggol (AT), in connection with the disappearance and death of a differently abled body of 29-year-old Chesam Abdul Kadir, who went missing on the night of June 10, was found buried near the Imphal riverbank at Shamurou Naorem on Tuesday. He belonged to the Meitei Pangal (Muslim) Singh, MLA of Wangoi along with representatives of Joint Action Committee against the killing of Chesam Abdul Kadir called on Governor of Manipur, Ajay Kumar Bhalla, at Raj Bhavan, Imphal and submitted a memorandum highlighted the urgent need to apprehend the accused promptly and to ensure that justice is delivered swiftly and transparently. Governor gave the representatives a patient hearing and assured them that appropriate legal action would be taken without delay. The meeting was also attended by DGP Rajiv Kuki Women Organisation for Human Rights (KWOHR), representing tribal women from across the Kuki-Zo community, submitted a memorandum to Union Home minister Amit Shah with deepening concern and anguish over the continued state-backed persecution, arbitrary arrests, and systematic Kuki-Zo community has consistently upheld the law, sought democratic redress, and called for peace. Yet, what we are witnessing is the continued criminalisation of our identity, collective punishment, and blatant disregard for constitutional added, 'These are not isolated arrests. They form part of a deliberate pattern of selective targeting, where only Kuki-Zo citizens are investigated, detained, and vilified, while radical Meitei outfits like Arambai Tenggol and Meitei Leepun continue to operate freely'.
