A deadly armed ambush targeted four civilian commuters in Manipur’s Kamjong district on Thursday, leaving a woman from the Kuki community dead and two fellow travelers missing. The attack took place against the backdrop of persistent friction between Kuki and Naga groups across parts of the state.
Commuters Targeted on the Way to Phaikoh
Details released in a press statement by the Kuki Inpi Manipur indicate that four civilians were traveling along the road between Phaikoh and Aishu on two two-wheelers. The group was heading toward Phaikoh to purchase essential household provisions when militants ambushed them between 4 pm and 5 pm.
The victim killed on the spot has been identified as Hatneikim Haokip, wife of Jangkhongam Haokip. Her husband sustained gunshot injuries during the attack but managed to flee the ambush site and survive.
Search Continues for Missing Chassad Couple
The whereabouts of the other two individuals traveling in the group remain completely unaccounted for following the shooting. They have been identified as D. Paokhothang Haokip and his wife, Boishi Haokip, both residents of Chassad village. According to the Kuki Inpi Manipur, the precise circumstances surrounding the ambush and the current fate of the missing couple were not immediately clear.
Denouncing the violent assault on unarmed civilians, the Kuki Inpi Manipur called upon both the state administration and the Central government to enact swift measures to safeguard civilian life and ensure the perpetrators are brought to justice without delay.
Simmering Conflict Across Multiple Districts
This fatal confrontation follows an intense spike in unrest that claimed at least nine lives across Manipur earlier in the week, sharply intensifying an already volatile security environment.
That recent wave of hostility erupted over a 24-hour span on October 9 and 10 across Kamjong, Kangpokpi, and Ukhrul districts. Those incidents involved direct assaults on civilians and village guards, heavy exchanges of gunfire, and arson, reigniting deep-seated hostility between Kuki and Naga communities in the region.
