Heading to town ‘for medical emergency’, 3 killed in suspected ambush in Manipur

According to security sources, no weapons were found on the bodies.

The incident took place at around 7 am near Ireng Naga village in Kuki-Zomi-dominated Kangpokpi district, a few kilometres away from its boundary with Meitei-dominated Imphal West district.

“The three people were travelling from Ponlen in a vehicle that was fired upon near Ireng Naga. It is assessed that the attack was carried out by multiple people. Central security forces that were stationed at a distance heard the gunshots and arrived at the location, by which time the attackers had left,” a security source said.

Given that the attack likely involved crossing the “buffer zone” that security forces maintain at the boundaries of Meitei-dominated and Kuki-dominated areas, the source said “it appears to be the work of trained people”.

According to James Hangmi, a resident of Kangchup Ponlen, the three had left the village in the morning to seek medical treatment in Kangpokpi for Ngamminlun Lhouvum, who had developed a high fever.

“They were going only because his fever was very high. They were travelling along a kacha road in the hills, which was created after the violence started so that people from our area can travel to Kangpokpi and people can travel between Kangpokpi and Churachandpur without crossing through the valley. So, it is very shocking that they could be attacked there. This is the only route through which food supplies reach our area from Kangpokpi,” Hangmi said.

Pointing to this incident, different Kuki-Zomi groups are raising the demand for all areas in the Meitei-dominated valley to be notified as ‘Disturbed Areas’ under the Armed Forces Special Powers Act. The limited repeal of AFSPA in parts of Manipur, Nagaland and Assam in the last few years had come after years of civil society resistance to it. Over the last two years, a total of 19 police stations in Manipur – all located in the valley – have been removed from the jurisdiction of ‘Disturbed Areas’ under AFSPA, which gives sweeping powers to the Army.

The ‘Disturbed Areas’ notification is applicable for a period of six months, and is extended every six months or can be lifted after the expiry of six months. Since the last extension took effect on April 1 in Manipur, the next extension is set to take effect from October 1. The Manipur Cabinet has recommended to the Central government to maintain status quo, with an extension in the state’s hill areas and exclusion of the 19 police stations in the valley.

The Indigenous Tribal Leaders’ Forum – a conglomerate of tribes in Churachandpur – condemned the latest killings and said urged the Central government “to crack down on valley insurgent groups and reimpose the Armed Forces Special Powers Act in valley areas immediately since the state government and sections of the police force are openly siding with the majority community”.

Similarly, the Committee on Tribal Unity in Kangpokpi said, “If the Union Home Ministry is sincere in its appeal for normalcy, then it must immediately declare all valley district as ‘Disturbed Areas’ under AFSPA…”