Manipur: Woman killed, 2 injured as armed people open fire at farmers in Senapati paddy field

A 40-year-old woman farmer was killed and two others injured after unidentified armed people opened fire at farmers in a Senapati paddy field.

A 40-year-old woman farmer was killed and two others injured after unidentified armed people opened fire at farmers working in a paddy field in Taphou Kuki village in Manipur’s Senapati district on Thursday, police said.

According to police officers, the incident occurred at around 11 am, and the deceased was identified as Kimneineng Chongloi of Taphou village.

She sustained bullet injuries and died at the spot. Two other male farmers, identified as Sehngam Chongloi alias David and Lamkhochon Chongloi, both residents of Taphou Kuki village, also sustained bullet injuries.

“All the victims belonged to Kuki communities. Who were involved and what were their motives behind the attack is yet to be ascertained,” a senior police officer, requesting anonymity, said.

Police said the injured were evacuated to Misson Hospital in Kangpokpi district for first aid. They were later referred to Imphal for further treatment.

A case was registered at the Senapati police station for further investigation.

Two youths belonging to the Kuki community, who were reportedly abducted on October 28, were found dead on November 1. Manipur Chief Minister Yumnam Khemchand, during a visit to the deceaseds’ family on November 9, had announced that the case was handed over to the National Investigation Agency (NIA) and assured that the accused would be apprehended soon.

The Naga-Kuki tensions intensified following the twin ambushes on May 13 that left four people, including three church leaders, dead. In the aftermath of the ambushes, 48 people were taken hostage, triggering protests, shutdowns and a blockade along all three national highways in the state. Many houses belonging to either community were set ablaze.

The ethnic clashes in Manipur first began between the Meitei and Kuki communities before involving almost every community. The state’s Meitei and Kuki-Zo communities have shut each other out from the areas they dominate since the ethnic clashes began in May 2023, leaving at least 260 people dead and displacing 60,000.

The Meiteis, mostly Hindu, live largely in the Imphal Valley. The Kukis, predominantly Christian, reside in the hills. The state government has maintained that there are no buffer zones dividing communities in the state, but it has identified certain sensitive areas.

A new government was formed in February, nearly a year after the imposition of President’s Rule. It includes representatives from all three major communities as part of an attempt to maintain ethnic balance.