Woman killed, two hurt in attack on Manipur village along NH-37

A woman was killed and her husband and son were seriously injured in an attack by unidentified armed miscreants on a small Kuki settlement in Manipur early on Saturday, officials said.

The incident occurred around 4 am at Tollen village, located along National Highway-37 in the Tousem sub-division of Tamenglong district. The deceased was identified as Lhingzangai Singsit.

Personnel of the Assam Rifles from the Kaimai base responded to the attack and rescued the injured father and son, moving them to Jiribam for urgent medical treatment.

The assault took place on September 13, observed by the Kuki community as Black Day, an annual occasion of mourning for lives lost during the Kuki-Naga ethnic conflict of the early 1990s.

The incident has renewed concerns about the safety of civilians living along NH-37, a sensitive corridor connecting Imphal and Jiribam, amid the ongoing conflict in the state.

Kuki civil society organisations condemned the attack and demanded an immediate, impartial and thorough investigation. They called for those responsible to be identified and prosecuted on the basis of credible evidence and due process, and sought stronger intelligence gathering and preventive security measures, particularly for women, children and other vulnerable civilians.

The Kaimai Naga Village Authority also condemned the attack, describing the perpetrators as an unidentified group. In a brief condemnation letter issued on Sunday, the authority expressed concern that the incident could create suspicion and division among communities in the region.

It appealed to the authorities to conduct a thorough and impartial investigation, urged all communities to exercise restraint, and asked community leaders and civil society organisations to reaffirm peace and understanding.

Tollen is a small Kuki settlement with a population of 250 people in 54 households. Kaimai, which lies about three kilometres away, is predominantly inhabited by Naga people.