Unidentified assailants killed a 45-year-old Kuki man in ethnic violence-hit Manipur’s Kangpokpi district on Tuesday, even as around six Kuki houses were set ablaze in Ukhrul and a shutdown was imposed to protest against the killing of three Meiteis in an ambush in Imphal East on Monday. The shutdown largely affected five Meitei-dominated districts in Imphal Valley.
Residents said two people were collecting bamboo shoots when the assailants fired at them in Kangpokpi, killing Paolen Khongsai on the spot. The second person had a narrow escape.
Local bodies and village volunteers issued a warning asking people to refrain from moving in forested and isolated areas due to the suspected movement of armed men as police rushed to the spot for investigation.
In a statement, the Ukhrul police said the houses were burnt at Patleijang, a Kuki village. It added that the arsonists fled and no casualties were reported.
“The identity and number of perpetrators and the circumstances leading to the incident could not be ascertained. The motive behind the crime also remains unknown,” the statement said.
Police said they registered a case under the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita section related to mischief by fire or explosive substances.
People residing along National Highway (NH) 202, connecting Imphal with Nagaland via Ukhrul, and civil society organisation Native Peoples Committee Manipur imposed the 48-hour shutdown from Monday evening.
A large number of protestors blocked roads at key locations, including Khoyathong and Thangmeiband in Imphal West. Khurai Lamlong junction along NH-202 was blocked. In Bishnupur, protestors burnt tyres and debris along Tiddim Road to Churachandpur.
No violence was reported on Tuesday morning in the bandh-hit areas, even as security forces were put on alert in Imphal. All the educational institutions were shut. Marketplaces wore a deserted look. Public transport services have been suspended.
Meitei protesters on Monday left two bodies in front of the main gate of Chief Minister Y Khemchand Singh’s residence to protest the failure to protect civilians after suspected armed Kuki militants carried out an ambush.
Security forces fired tear gas shells to disperse the mob that breached security outside the residence and parked a truck carrying two bodies.
The three Meiteis killed on Monday were collecting firewood in a forest amid protracted violence in the state, which has left at least 306 people dead since 2023. The families of the victims claimed that the attackers belonged to the Kuki community, but there was no official confirmation.
This was the first incident of conflict between Meiteis and Kukis after July 13, when armed Kuki groups attacked Meiteis in Bishnupur’s Torbung Bangla. There were no deaths in the incident. In the last few months, at least 50 people have died in the state, mostly in Naga-Kuki clashes.
The ethnic clashes first broke out between the dominant Meitei and tribal Kuki communities in May 2023. A breakdown of law and order led to the creation of ethnic enclaves and displaced 66,000 people.
On May 13, four people, including three church leaders, were killed in a twin ambush in Kangpokpi. On the same day, 48 civilians from the Kuki and Naga communities were taken hostage from both groups.
Two days later, 14 people from each community were released. But 14 Kukis and six Nagas remained in captivity. After 27 days of protest and appeals for unconditional release of the hostages, 14 Kukis were released on June 9. But on June 10, mutilated bodies of six Naga hostages were recovered, fuelling tensions.