Four Civilians Killed in Firing at Manipur Border Village; UAPA Case Filed
Four civilians were killed when suspected Myanmar-based rebels opened fire at Pilong village in Manipur's Kamjong district; police have filed a UAPA case and a 24-hour shutdown has been called in protest.
Four civilians were killed after unidentified armed men, suspected to belong to a Myanmar-based rebel group, entered Pilong village along the Indo-Myanmar border in Manipur's Kamjong district and opened fire on residents on Thursday afternoon.
Police said the assailants appeared to be carrying sophisticated firearms. The village lies roughly 30 km southeast of Chassad Police Station, according to the Kamjong Superintendent of Police.
The deceased have been identified as Phami Jajo (43), Ningthem Kashak (35), Betterson Jajo (50) and Vareshim Jajo (67). Their bodies have been moved to the Kamjong district headquarters, where post-mortem examinations are being conducted.
Investigators are working to establish the sequence of events and to identify those behind the attack. The assailants remain unidentified, and police have described them as armed persons suspected to be from a Myanmar-based rebel outfit.
A suo motu case has been registered, invoking provisions of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act and the Arms Act.
The killings have renewed security worries in the remote border belt of Kamjong, where tough terrain and poor accessibility complicate security operations.
Manipur Chief Minister Yumnam Khemchand Singh condemned the attack. "Such acts of violence have no place in our society and will not be tolerated," he said in a post on X, while extending his deepest condolences to the bereaved families.
In the wake of the killings, the Tangkhul Naga Long (TNL) announced a 24-hour shutdown across its jurisdiction from 7 am on September 25 to 7 am on September 26. In an emergency notice issued on Thursday, TNL Secretary Thanreingam Muivah said the shutdown was being imposed to protest the killing of the four civilians.
The TNL alleged that the four were killed by cadres of the Kuki National Army-Burma (KNA-B) and other armed groups. The claim has not been independently verified.
The organisation said power, medical and fire services, funeral and condolence-related movement, and other essential services would be exempt from the shutdown.