Manipur: Remains of 4 Nagas shot dead brought to Senapati hospital amid shutdown

The ambush was carried out on Thursday in Kangpokpi district while Naga group was returning from Makui village to Senapati after a meeting

The remains of four Naga community members shot dead in an ambush on Thursday were brought to the Senapati district hospital amid a shutdown imposed by Naga groups to protest the killings on Friday.

The deceased were identified as Tadsongbou Ringkangmai, Mariakdibou Wijunamai, Wisobou Charenamai and Anil Wijunamai.

The ambush was carried out on Thursday between Makui Ashang and Thanamba Naga in Kangpokpi district while the Naga group was returning from Makui village to Senapati after attending a meeting.

On Friday, the funeral processesion was allowed to proceed towards Senapati on Friday morning amid deployment of local police and the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF). Post-mortem will be conducted at the Senapati district hospital, police said.

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The remains were first received by civil society organisations at Thonglang Atongba, a Liangmei village, at around 8:30 am. The village authority presented four shawls in honour of the deceased during the reception. A large number of people gathered along the route and at the reception point to pay their last respects.

Meanwhile, Gaikamang Ringkangmai, 44, who sustained a bullet injury to his left forearm in the attack, is undergoing treatment at Senapati District Hospital.

Ringkangmai, said: “I could see the attackers. They were positioned in pairs of two. Some of them had long hairs and were wearing full camouflage uniforms. They had red ribbons tied on the top of their rifles from which they continued firing. They also pushed the vehicle into the gorge.”

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Following the killings, the Naga People’s Organisation (NPO) called for an immediate shutdown of all shops and business establishments in Senapati district headquarters.

The United Naga Council (UNC) condemned the killings and demanded that those responsible be booked and brought to justice. The UNC further demanded the constitution of a Special Investigation Team (SIT) to investigate the attack.

The UNC announced the shutdown from 6 am to 6 pm on August 28 across Naga areas and district headquarters. During the observance, vehicle movement, shops and business establishments, as well as government and private schools and colleges, will remain closed.

The killings have heightened tension in parts of Kangpokpi and Senapati districts.

Since the May 13 twin ambush at two different places (Noney, a Naga -dominated district and Kangpokpi, Kuki-dominated district), in which four civilians including three church leaders and one Naga man were killed, tension has simmered between Naga and Kuki-Zo communities.

On the same day, 48 civilians belonging to Naga and Kuki-Zo were held captivated by both the groups in retaliatory tension. Later, nearly after a month of captivity all the hostages were set free however, 6 Naga men were found dead near Kharam Vaiphei (Kuki village) in Kangpokpi district.

Four persons including a couple were arrested, in two different raids in July, in connection with the killings by the national investigating agency (NIA).

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Ethnic clashes have been reported in Manipur from May 3, 2023, between Kuki-Zo and Meitei communities. Clashes later spread between Naga and Kuki communities following the May 13 twin ambush incident.

Meanwhile, Manipur Chief Minister Yumnam Khemchand on Thursday here in Imphal called for identifying individuals and leaders working against peace in the violence-hit state and taking action against them under the law, while stressing the need for dialogue and “trust diplomacy” to bridge the trust deficit between communities.

“There are people who don’t want peace. We have to identify them as soon as possible. As far as the law is concerned, we have to book them,” Khemchand said.

Khemchand said that a trust deficit exists in the state and said it cannot be addressed without direct communication between communities. Recalling his visits to Jiribam and meetings with people from different communities, including Kuki representatives, he said he had realised that peace efforts must begin with positive engagement.

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“Without talking to each other, without dialogue, and without understanding each other’s fears, we cannot reduce the trust deficit through diplomacy,” he said.