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New Indian Express
21-06-2025
- New Indian Express
Manipur tense after violence erupts in state
GUWAHATI: Tensions prevailed in parts of Manipur's Bishnupur and Churachandpur districts on Friday, a day after a Meitei farmer was shot at and injured by an unknown armed miscreant and a Kuki woman died in crossfire. Ningthoujam Biren, the farmer from Phubala area of Bishnupur district, was shot at while working in his paddy field along with two other farmers. Security forces launched a search operation in and around Langchingmanbi, Heichanglok and the western areas of Phubala. 'During the operation, security forces came under fire from unknown armed miscreants and the forces retaliated. One woman from Langchingmanbi village (of Churachandpur) was found dead with a bullet injury,' police said. Bishnupur, which is a Meitei-majority district, adjoins the Kuki-majority Churachandpur. Locals on Thursday blocked a highway in Bishnupur against the attack on the farmer and threatened to enforce a shutdown from Friday. A team of senior police officials visited Phubala on Friday and held a meeting with community leaders who expressed concerns over the farmers' safety.
India Today
20-06-2025
- Politics
- India Today
'Indefinite shutdown' in Manipur's Kuki areas after woman killed in crossfire
An indefinite shutdown called by the Indigenous Tribal Leaders' Forum (ITLF) has brought daily life to a grinding halt across Churachandpur district and other Kuki-dominated regions of Manipur. The protest was launched in response to the killing of Hoikholhing, wife of the Langchingmanbi village chief. She was allegedly killed during a crossfire between security forces and armed militants on Thursday, June incident occurred during a search operation launched by security personnel in Langchingmanbi village, hours after a separate gun attack in Phubala, Bishnupur district, where Ningthoujam Biren, a 60-year-old Meitei farmer, was shot and injured by unidentified assailants while working in his paddy a strongly-worded statement, the Kuki Inpi Youth Affairs, a youth wing of a Kuki organisation, alleged that 'Hoikholhing was shot dead during a crossfire between Central security forces and armed Meitei militants.' The organisation blamed what it called the negligence of security forces and warned that the government must act to prevent a further rise in unrest. The ITLF condemned the killing as a 'grave injustice' and said the incident highlighted the ongoing failure of authorities to protect civilians in conflict-hit areas. 'This is not just a tragic loss for one family, but a glaring example of the state's breakdown in law and order,' the ITLF said in its support of the shutdown, six Kuki civil society organisations have expressed solidarity and demanded a high-level investigation into the circumstances leading to Hoikholhing's death. They also called for accountability and immediate justice for the victim's Friday morning, Churachandpur town wore a deserted look, with bandh supporters blocking roads, including the strategic Tiddim Road (NH-150) that connects Imphal with Mizoram via Churachandpur. Markets, educational institutions, and government offices remained shut, though essential services such as pharmacies and medical facilities were exempted from the latest flare-up comes amid ongoing ethnic unrest that has plagued Manipur since May 3, 2023, when large-scale violence broke out between the Meitei and Kuki-Zo communities. The region remains heavily militarized, with additional state and central forces deployed in the wake of the recent incidents to maintain have appealed for calm and reassured the public that investigations into both the Churachandpur and Phubala shootings are underway. However, with tensions running high and community trust in law enforcement eroding, the indefinite shutdown threatens to deepen the divide and prolong the instability gripping the the Coordinating Committee on Manipur Integrity (COCOMI) has urged the government to take immediate and firm action to address the rising threat perception faced by farmers during the current cultivation has demanded that the government step up its efforts by deploying security forces across the first line of hill terrain and foothill ranges that border the valley's agricultural zones. 'This is the working season. Our farmers must have the right to safely access and cultivate their fields. Without a secure environment, they are being denied this basic right,' he said. Warning of possible mass agitation, COCOMI has emphasised the need for immediate action to push back armed groups and prevent future Watch
Hindustan Times
20-06-2025
- Politics
- Hindustan Times
Manipur: Meitei civil body urges govt to act after attack on farmers
Imphal: The coordinating committee on Manipur integrity (COCOMI), an apex Meitei civil body, issued a statement on Friday urging the government to take necessary action to counter the growing violence during the ongoing cultivation season. This comes a day after a 60-year-old farmer, Ningthoujam Biren, sustained a bullet injury on his left arm after he was allegedly shot by Kuki militants while working in his paddy field at Phubala in Bishnupur district. 'We have been alerting the authorities for years. The current pattern of security deployment is clearly inadequate. Armed militants are targeting farmers in their fields, and this latest incident only reinforces our warnings,' COCOMI convenor Khuraijam Athouba said. A clash also broke out on Sunday morning in Imphal East after a Meitei farmer from Leitanpokpi allegedly arrived with a tractor to plough a paddy field in Sadu Lampak, near a Kuki village. No casualties were reported. With paddy cultivation underway, the COCOMI has demanded deployment of additional security personnel along the first line of hill terrain and foothill ranges bordering the valley's agricultural zones. 'This is the cultivation season. Our farmers have the right to access and cultivate their fields safely. Denying them this security is denying them a basic right,' Athouba added. Also Read:Clash breaks out between Meitei-Kuki communities in Imphal East over farmland Clarifying that people in the valley do not oppose Kuki farmers cultivating on nearby lands, Athouba said, 'But the security forces must act decisively against those carrying arms and threatening either of the community.' Athouba accused the government of only issuing statements but making little implementation on the ground. 'The public is losing patience. This must be the last time such an incident occurs. The government must respond with urgency and seriousness. If not, we could witness another wave of massive public protests,' Athouba said. COCOMI has urged the government to take strong measures to neutralise threats from armed groups on both sides, said Athouba.
Hindustan Times
20-06-2025
- Politics
- Hindustan Times
Manipur: Indefinite bandh in Churachandpur district following woman's death
Imphal: Normal life in Manipur's Churachandpur district was brought to a standstill after an indefinite shutdown called by the Indigenous Tribal Leaders' Forum (ITLF), a Kuki-Zo body. The shutdown comes in wake of the death of Hoikholhing, a woman from the Kuki community, who was allegedly killed during a crossfire between security forces and armed militants. Hoikholhing, said to be the wife of the village chief of Langchingmanbi in Churachandpur, succumbed to a bullet injury during an exchange of fire. The incident occurred while security forces were conducting a search operation in response to an earlier shooting incident in which Ningthoujam Biren, a 60-year-old farmer from Phubala Awang Maning Leikai, was shot in the left arm by unidentified armed assailants on Thursday. Also Read: Elderly Kuki woman killed in cross firing between security forces, armed men in Manipur Condemning the incident, six Kuki civil society organisations have expressed solidarity with the ITLF and extended support to the indefinite shutdown. Churachandpur town wore a deserted look on Friday, with roads blocked by the bandh supporters, particularly the Tiddim Road (NH-150 connecting Imphal and Mizoram via Churachandpur). Educational institutions, markets, and both government and private offices remained closed. However, essential services, including pharmacies and medical facilities, were exempted from the shutdown. In a statement issued on Friday, the Kuki Inpi Youth Affairs, a youth wing of a Kuki organisation, alleged that 'Hoikholhing was shot dead in a crossfire between security forces and armed militants inside her village.' Over 250 people have been killed after ethnic clashes broke out between the Meiteis, who live in the valley, and Kukis, who dominate the surrounding hills, in May 2023.
New Indian Express
20-06-2025
- New Indian Express
Day after violence, tensions prevail in Bishnupur and Churachandpur districts in Manipur
GUWAHATI: Tensions prevail in Manipur's Bishnupur and Churachandpur districts, a day after a Meitei farmer was shot in his left arm by an unknown armed miscreant, and a Kuki woman died in crossfire. Ningthoujam Biren, the farmer from Phubala area of Bishnupur district, was fired upon when he was working in his paddy field along with two other farmers. He was injured in the incident. After the incident, security forces launched a search operation in and around Langchingmanbi, Heichanglok and the western areas of Phubala. 'During the operation, security forces came under fire from unknown armed miscreants, and the forces retaliated accordingly. During the crossfire, one woman from Langchingmanbi village was found dead with a bullet injury. She was later identified as Hoikholhing, wife of Langchingmanbi village chief,' Manipur Police said in a statement. Cases have been registered in connection with the incidents, and an investigation is underway, the statement further stated. Bishnupur adjoins Churachandpur. Bishnupur is a Meitei-majority district while Churachandpur is a Kuki-majority district. The locals of Bishnupur on on June 19 blocked a highway in protest against the attack on the farmer. They demanded the arrest of the assailant and threatened to enforce a shutdown from June 20. It was learnt that Meitei civil society organisations and locals were holding a meeting where they would decide their future course of actions. Meanwhile, a shutdown was being observed in Churachandpur in protest against the killing of the Kuki woman. It was called by the Indigenous Tribal Leaders' Forum. The organisation demanded, 'immediate action against those responsible for this atrocity, concrete steps from the central government to ensure the protection of tribal lives and territory, and an independent investigation into the repeated buffer zone violations.' The ethnic conflict between Meiteis and Kukis, which had erupted on May 3, 2023, left over 250 people dead and some 60,000 others displaced.
