Armed persons attacked a group of villagers in a Manipur forest, killing one, police said.
A group of nine villagers from Pongringlong Part-I went to collect firewood at 6:40 am when they were allegedly fired upon by suspected Kuki militants from 500 metres away.
Most villagers escaped, but Chungjanglung Panmei (58) of the Naga community was shot in the leg and went missing. His body was found later.
The New Keithelmanbi police team recovered the body and sent it for a post-mortem examination.
A local Rongmei Naga body, Pongringlong Youth Club, accused armed Kukis of the killing and demanded a thorough investigation.
This incident comes amid escalating unrest between Kuki and Naga communities in Manipur since May 13, following a twin ambush incident that killed four civilians.
