1. Two Kuki-Zo individuals were found dead after alleged abduction during ethnic clashes in Manipur.
2. The incident occurred as the group was en route to a wedding function in L Phaijang village.
3. The Meitei mob’s actions transpired despite the presence of police and security forces.
Imphal, Nov 09: Two of the four Kuki-Zo individuals, members of a soldier’s family, who were allegedly abducted by a Meitei mob from a security checkpoint in Manipur’s Kangpokpi district, have been discovered dead, according to officials. This disturbing incident unfolded amid ongoing ethnic clashes between the Kuki and Meitei communities, plunging Manipur into turmoil.
The incident occurred on a Tuesday morning as the five Kuki-Zo people, including two women, were traveling toward L Phaijang village to attend a wedding function. They were “forcibly taken away” by a Meitei mob near the Kangchup Chingkhong village checkpoint, despite the presence of the police and central security forces. This alleged abduction led to gunfire and renewed protests in Manipur, a region that has been grappling with ethnic tensions for months.
Inspector General of Police Themthing Ngasangva confirmed that two bodies, one male and one female, were found on Tuesday evening. However, two other individuals remain missing, and the fifth member of the group, a 65-year-old father of an Indian Army soldier, was rescued by security forces but sustained serious injuries. He was airlifted to a military base hospital in Guwahati the following day.
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The Manipur Police also stated that the vehicle carrying the Kuki-Zo group was “confronted by an enraged mob.”
Sanjoy Meitei, the officer in charge of the Lamsang Police Station, reported that the body of the missing Kuki-Zo woman was discovered on Tuesday in Atom Khuman village, approximately 8 kilometers from Kangchup Chingkhong. She had a gunshot wound to her head, and her identity is suspected to be Kuki. A murder case has been registered, and a postmortem examination is scheduled.
The body of the Kuki man was found in the Takhok Mapal Makha Puruksoubi Loukon Palli area in Imphal East, bearing three gunshot wounds on his chest and one on his head. A case under Section 302 of the Indian Penal Code (murder) and the Arms Act has been filed against unknown individuals.
The situation in Manipur was already tense as two Meitei teenagers went missing on Sunday. The two boys, aged 16 and 19, disappeared after attending a function in the Sekmai area in Imphal West district. Their phones were later discovered wrapped in a black plastic bag in Senapati district, a Naga-dominated area. In connection with this case, the Manipur Police arrested two Kuki individuals believed to be associated with the Kuki Revolutionary Army (Unification) militant group.
Manipur continues to grapple with these distressing events, which have exacerbated ethnic tensions and deepened the sense of unease in the region.
