Manipur violence: Two killed in attack on Langka Naga village

Two people were killed and two injured after suspected militants attacked Langka Naga village in Manipur’s Kangpokpi district, police said. The attack triggered retaliation by village volunteers and protests, including a shutdown call, amid continuing ethnic tensions in the state

Imphal: Two people were killed and two others injured after gunmen attacked a village in Manipur’s Kangpokpi district on Friday, police said. Suspected militants armed with sophisticated weapons opened fire at Langka Naga village around 8 am, they said. The deceased were identified as W Chawang (34) and K Abonmai (55).

Chawang suffered gunshot wounds to his head and died on the spot, while Abonmai succumbed to the injuries on the way to a hospital, police said. Two villagers were injured in the attack and were admitted to RIMS-Imphal, they said. Following the attack, village volunteers retaliated, they added. In an attack Tokpa Liangmai Naga village in the district on Tuesday night, nine houses were burnt down.

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Armed men allegedly opened fire and later set fire to the houses, mostly kutcha structures. Naga People’s Front legislator Awangbou Newmai, who visited RIMS to meet the injured, expressed anguish over the incident and appealed to all communities to maintain peace.

“Today, Langka villagers were on the way to their fields when they were attacked. They were guarded by volunteers as it was a sensitive area. We have been working for peace. We keep appealing to every community to maintain peace and stop killing each other,” Newmai told reporters.

“I have no words to express my sorrow, grief and pain over such repeated incidents. I would like to say, let’s stop this, whoever it may be,” he said. An All Naga Students’ Union Manipur (ANSAM) leader alleged that suspected Kuki militants were responsible. “We strongly condemn the attack and the killings. We Naga people are peace-loving people. But how will leaders control the situation when angry youths lose their patience,” he asked.

The Liangmai Naga Council also condemned the killings and announced an “emergency shutdown” in all Liangmai Naga-inhabited areas of the state.

Protesters also burnt tyres and placed stones on roads in the Kanglatongbi area of Imphal West district to protest the killings. More than 260 people have been killed and thousands rendered homeless in ethnic clashes between the Meitei and Kuki-Zo communities in Manipur since May 2023.