Two Kuki women shot dead as fresh violence rocks Manipur | India News

Two women, suspected to be from the Kuki community, were gunned down allegedly by unidentified armed miscreants in a village in Manipur’s Tamenglong district, police said on Tuesday, two days after four civilians were shot dead in the same district amid the ongoing ethnic violence in the state.According to police, the incident occurred at around 3.30pm in Muktakhal village.“We recovered the bodies and sent them to Silchar Medical College and Hospital, Assam, in the evening,” said a Kaimai police official, adding that those responsible for the crime are yet to be identified and probe is underway to nab the miscreants.Also Read I Manipur CM warns against bribery for contractual employees' regularisationKuki body alleges attack by armed cadresThe Kuki Inpi Manipur (KIM), a Kuki body, identified the deceased as 60-year-old Phalneichong Sitlhou, alias Chonga Sitlhouand, and Kimjalhing alias Kimnei Singson.They were allegedly attacked and killed by armed cadres belonging to National Socialist Council of Nagaland–Isak-Muivah( NSCN-IM) and Zeliangrong United Front faction associated with Kamson faction (ZUF-K) while practicing agricultural activities, the Kuki body said.“Over the past three days, including today, six innocent Kuki villagers have reportedly been killed in cold blood. Today, two women, residents of Muktokhol (Leisangphai) village, who had gone to their jhum fields, were reportedly waylaid and shot dead in their own fields by NSCN-IM and its cohorts,” KIM said in a statement. KIM said that targeting innocent civilians and failure of authorities to protect the civilians are pushing the situation towards extreme state. The Kuki body urged the central government and state government to act immediately and decisively to stop further attack, protect civilians and bring responsible for the killing to justice.Meanwhile, Kuki Zo Council (KZC) another Kuki-Zo body has announced a resolution and notified to all Civil society organisations across Kuki-Zo districts that “No Kuki-Zo person killed by Naga armed groups in Manipur shall be buried until further notice. The mortal remains of every such victim shall instead be preserved in the nearest available cold-storage facility until further directions are issued by the Kuki-Zo Council,” KZC said in a statement.Also Read I No act of violence will be allowed to derail Manipur's path towards peace: State home ministerSunday's violence between Naga-Kuki groupsOn Sunday, four people, including a couple, were killed and a six-year-old sustained a bullet injury in two separate attacks by armed miscreants in Tamenglong.Naga and Kuki-Zo tensions escalated after the May 13 twin ambushes. On the same day, Kuki-Zo and Naga groups captured 48 people. On May 15, 14 captives each from the two communities were released. The remaining 14 Kuki-Zo hostages were freed unharmed on June 9. Mutilated bodies of the six Nagas were found the next day.The ethnic violence in the state began in 2023 between the Meitei and Kuki communities. The ethnic violence in Manipur first began in 2023 between the Meitei and Kuki communities before involving almost every community. The state’s Meitei and Kuki-Zo communities have shut each other out of the areas they dominate.