Manipur Ambush: Four Killed, Including Two Women, as Suspected Militants Open Fire on Cars

Four people, including two women, were killed after suspected Kuki militants allegedly ambushed two cars along the Imphal-Dimapur National Highway (NH-2) in Manipur’s Ukhrul district on Friday afternoon, police said.

The attack took place at New Haven, under the jurisdiction of Litan Police Station. The victims were travelling in two separate cars when armed attackers allegedly opened fire on the vehicles.

A police official in Imphal, quoting local residents, said all four occupants, comprising two men and two women, died on the spot. Bullet marks were visible on the windshields of both vehicles.

Security forces, led by senior police officials, rushed to the scene following the incident. Litan Police Station has launched an investigation to establish the circumstances surrounding the suspected ambush.

Local media reports said the victims belonged to the Naga community. Further details, including the identity of the attackers, are awaited.

Bandh Disrupts Normal Life in Kangpokpi

Meanwhile, a 48-hour bandh called by the Committee on Tribal Unity (COTU) partially disrupted normal life in Manipur’s Kangpokpi district on Friday.

Shops, markets and commercial establishments remained closed, while most passenger buses and auto-rickshaws stayed off the roads, causing inconvenience to commuters. Educational institutions, medical facilities and emergency services were exempted from the shutdown.

The Kangpokpi-based tribal organisation called the bandh from midnight on November 12 to protest the killing of a Kuki woman during a gunfight between rival armed groups on Thursday.

COTU also demanded the withdrawal of all Central and state security forces from the mountainous areas of Kangpokpi district, particularly those operating under the command of the Senapati district Superintendent of Police.

Kuki Woman Killed in Gunfight Between Rival Groups

The bandh followed the killing of 42-year-old Kimneineng Chongloi, who was shot dead during a gun battle near Taphou Kuki village in Kangpokpi district and Kailengjang in neighbouring Senapati district on Thursday. Two other people were injured in the exchange of fire.

Kuki organisations alleged that cadres of the NSCN-IM and ZUF-K shot Chongloi while she was working in a paddy field.

According to the report, at least 50 people have been killed in clashes between Kuki and Naga groups in the hill districts of Manipur since February this year.