A man belonging to the Meitei community was shot dead after being abducted by suspected Kuki militants in Manipur’s Churachandpur district, marking a fresh escalation in the state’s ongoing ethnic tensions.
The victim, Mayanglambam Rishikanta Singh, was abducted from his home in the Tuibong area on Wednesday and later shot dead near Natjang village, police said.
The killing took place on Manipur’s Statehood Day, when Prime Minister Narendra Modi extended greetings to the people of the state in a post on X.
“On the occasion of Manipur Statehood Day, I extend my warm greetings to my sisters and brothers of the state. People from Manipur are enriching the progress of India. This state’s passion towards sports, culture and nature is noteworthy. May the state continue to move forward on the path of development in the times to come,” the Prime Minister said.
Police suspect the abductors to be members of the United Kuki National Army (UNKA), a militant group that is not a signatory to the Suspension of Operations (SoO) agreement. The SoO pact was signed between the Centre, the Manipur government and several Kuki-Zo militant groups.
Singh, a resident of Kakching Khunou in Kakching district, was married to Chingnu Haokip of Churachandpur and had assumed a tribal name, Ginminthang.
According to local sources, he had returned to Churachandpur from Nepal on January 19 and was allowed to stay with his wife by some local groups.
Since ethnic violence erupted in May 2023, Kukis and Meiteis have largely avoided entering each other’s areas, with the conflict leaving Manipur deeply divided. More than 260 people have been killed and thousands displaced in the violence.
Police said the militants abducted both Singh and his wife and took them towards Natjang in the Henglep police station area, where Singh was suspected to have been shot dead. His wife was later released.
A purported video clip of the incident surfaced on social media, showing Singh pleading for his life with folded hands moments before he was shot by armed men.
The police said Singh’s body was recovered from Natjang village after they received information about the incident and was brought to the district hospital morgue around 1.30 am. A suo motu case has been registered, and efforts are underway to arrest those involved, officials said.