In fresh escalation of tensions between the Meitei and Kuki communities in Manipur, a man belonging to the Meitei community was shot dead after being abducted by suspected Kuki militants in Churachandpur district.
Police said Mayanglambam Rishikanta Singh was abducted from his home in the Tuibong area on Wednesday and shot dead in the vicinity of Natjang village.
The kidnappers are suspected to be members of the United Kuki National Army (UNKA), a non-signatory to the Suspension of Operations (SoO) agreement that was reached between the Centre, the Manipur government and dozens of Kuki-Zo militant groups.
A purported video clip of the chilling incident has gone viral on social media, showing Singh begging for his life with folded hands before he was shot by the armed men.
Singh, who hailed from Kakching Khunou in Kakching district, was married to Chingnu Haokip, a Kuki of Churachandpur, which is a Kuki-dominated area. Singh assumed a tribal name, Ginminthang, and was allowed by some local groups to stay with his wife.
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He had returned to Churachandpur from Nepal on January 19, say local sources.
Police said militants abducted both the man and his wife, and took them towards Natjang in the Henglep police station area, where he was suspected to have been shot dead. The wife was later set free, they said.
Police said they recovered Singh’s body from the Natjang village after receiving a call and brought it to the morgue of the district hospital around 1.30 am.
A suo motu case was registered, and efforts are underway to nab those involved, they said.
Manipur has witnessed rampant violence between the Kukis and Meiteis, who do not venture into each other’s areas after one of the worst episodes of violence that broke out in May 2023, and one that left the state deeply divided on ethnic lines.
Over 260 people have been killed and thousands rendered homeless in the hostilities.
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