Two Kuki-Zo women were killed and several farmhouses were reportedly set ablaze at Leisangphai Kuki village, also known as Muktokhal, in Tamenglong district, allegedly by suspected NSCN-IM militants, in yet another deadly attack that has intensified fears among villagers and triggered fresh outrage over the continuing violence in Manipur.
Local sources also reported that many others remain missing.
The victims were reportedly attacked while they were at their farms at around 3 pm.
The two deceased were identified as Chonga Sitlhou (60), wife of (L) Seidou Sitlhou, and Kimboi Singson (30), daughter of Paosei Singson, both from Leisang village in Tamenglong district.
Chonga Sitlhou was gathering firewood on her farm when she was killed, while Kimboi Singson, who had recently completed her nursing course and returned home to assist her parents with farming, was also shot and killed at the same location.
Both victims were unarmed female civilians engaged in ordinary activities at the time of the incident.
The incident has been attributed to NSCN-IM and ZUF-K and comes amid a series of attacks and killings involving Kuki civilians in Jiribam, Tamenglong and Noney districts.
The killing of Kimboi Singson, who had only recently completed her nursing studies and was reportedly helping her family at their farm, has sent shockwaves through the Kuki-Zo community, with villagers describing the incident as another devastating loss of an innocent civilian caught in the prolonged cycle of violence.
Several farmhouses in and around the area were also reportedly torched during the attack, raising concerns that the assault was not confined to the killings but involved the deliberate destruction of civilian property and livelihoods.
Many others who went to their respective farms were also reportedly missing till the filing of this report.
The latest bloodshed came barely two days after four Kuki-Zo civilians, including a married couple, were killed in separate attacks at Tollen village in Tamenglong district and Longpi village in Noney district on September 13.
The September 13 attacks had already sparked widespread condemnation and demands for an immediate investigation by the National Investigation Agency (NIA), amid allegations that armed militants were responsible for the killings.
The fresh killings at Leisang have now deepened the sense of insecurity among Kuki-Zo villagers living in vulnerable areas, particularly those dependent on remote farms for their livelihood.
The repeated targeting of Kuki-Zo civilians has also raised serious questions over the protection of villagers in peripheral areas, where families continue to venture into their fields despite security concerns simply to sustain themselves.
The latest incident is likely to further inflame tensions in the region, with community leaders expected to demand immediate security reinforcement, a time-bound investigation and stringent action against those responsible.
The incidents at Tollen, Longpi and now Leisang have fuelled growing fears that violence against civilians is spreading across vulnerable Kuki-Zo settlements, with ordinary villagers increasingly paying the highest price amid the continuing conflict.
The Hills Journal
K. Salbung, Churachandpur
Manipur-795128
