Tollen Slain Couple’s Children Join Protest, Demand Justice for Parents as Kuki-Zo Women Rise Against Twin Attacks

In a heart-wrenching reminder of the human cost of Manipur’s continuing violence, two children of a Kuki-Zo couple brutally killed in the pre-dawn attack at Tollen village joined a protest today, standing among grieving women and demanding justice for their slain parents.

The sight of the bereaved children taking part in the demonstration, days after losing their mother and father in the brutal attack, moved protesters and underscored the deep scars left on families caught in the cycle of violence.

Kuki-Zo women from Tamenglong and Noney areas took to the streets demanding justice for the victims of the twin attacks at Tollen and Longpi villages, in which at least four Kuki-Zo civilians were killed and others, including a child, injured.

Among those seeking justice were two children of Seineh Singsit and his wife Lhingjangai Singsit, who were killed at Tollen on the day the Kuki-Zo community observed its 'Sahnit Ni' or Black Day.

The couple's children, who should have been mourning their parents in the safety of their home, instead joined the public protest, carrying a demand that should never have had to be made by children - justice for their mother and father.

According to local sources, the couple were asleep when their house came under attack with sophisticated weapons in the pre-dawn hours. Lhingjangai was shot dead inside the house, while Seineh managed to flee a short distance before sustaining grievous bullet injuries. He later succumbed to his injuries at a hospital.

Their youngest son, Henminsang Singsit, was also critically injured, sustaining a bullet injury to his left hand.

The couple are survived by five children.

For the children, Monday's protest was not merely another demonstration against violence. It was a public cry for accountability from a family whose world was shattered while they slept.

The participation of the deceased couple's children has added a deeply human dimension to growing anger among the Kuki-Zo community, with protesters demanding answers over how heavily armed attackers could allegedly strike a village so close to a security deployment.

The couple children's grief was laid bare when a joint inquiry team of police and central forces reached their home to gather details about the attack.

The minor children broke down inconsolably, calling out for their parents and pleading with the security personnel to bring their mother and father back home.

In a heart-rending moment that laid bare the devastating human cost of the violence, the children appeared unable to comprehend that the parents they were desperately waiting for would never return.

The Kuki Inpi Jiribam, Tamenglong and Noney had earlier issued a 24-hour ultimatum to the government, demanding concrete action over the killings and announcing a 24-hour economic blockade. It warned of an indefinite total shutdown if its demands were not met.

The organisation has demanded that the case be handed over to the National Investigation Agency (NIA) for an impartial investigation and sought permanent deployment of security personnel at Tollen.

It has also questioned how such an attack could take place despite the reported presence of security forces in the vicinity and demanded accountability for the security lapse.

In a further expression of grief and protest, the organisation said it would not accept the mortal remains of the victims for funeral rites until justice was delivered.

The twin attacks have since triggered shutdowns in several Kuki-Zo-dominated areas, with public anger spreading beyond the immediate sites of the killings.

In Kangpokpi, the district headquarters observed a voluntary shutdown on Monday despite no formal shutdown call being issued by any civil society organisation.

Business establishments remained closed from the morning as residents expressed solidarity with the victims and demanded justice.

The shutdown, however, did not bring daily life to a complete halt. Normal vehicular movement continued, while government offices and educational institutions remained open.

The voluntary closure of businesses nevertheless sent a strong message of public grief and anger, reflecting the widespread demand that the killings should not be allowed to pass without accountability.

At the centre of it all were two children mourning parents they can no longer bring home - but whose deaths they now publicly demand must not be forgotten.