A brutal killing in the hill tracts of Kangpokpi district has triggered intense outrage across Manipur, prompting a prominent tribal organisation to issue a strict two-day deadline to law enforcement agencies. The civil society body has taken an uncompromising stance, insisting that the remains of the victim must be fully restored before any post-mortem procedures can proceed at the state capital.
Fatal Ambush on Makui Ashang Village
The unrest stems from an armed raid on Makui Ashang village on Saturday, where 52-year-old Ajinbou R was slain in what was described as an attack by suspected insurgents. The assailants decapitated the victim during the assault. On Sunday night, his torso was transported to the mortuary of the Jawaharlal Nehru Institute of Medical Sciences located in Imphal for a scheduled post-mortem examination. Disturbance mounted further when digital footage began circulating on Saturday, purportedly depicting heavily armed fighters in military camouflage holding the victim's severed head.
Joint Tribes Council Sets Strict Terms
Reacting swiftly to the barbaric act, the Joint Tribes Council Manipur issued a formal declaration on Sunday denouncing the incident and blocking the autopsy process. Emphasising the demand for customary dignity, the council declared, “The head of Ajinbou R remains missing. Post-mortem will not be conducted till his head is returned to his family members for a dignified burial.” The leadership underscored that they will not permit state medical examiners to dissect an incomplete body while armed militants continue to flaunt the head as a war trophy.
Administration Held Accountable as Deadline Looms
Characterising the horrific crime as an affront to humanity, the tribal council placed direct responsibility for the resurgence of bloodshed on both the state and Central administrations. Issuing a non-negotiable 48-hour ultimatum, the organisation instructed authorities to locate the severed head and hand it back to the grieving family immediately. The group warned that if the administration fails to comply within the stipulated timeframe, it will enforce the most stringent measures available to secure justice.
Deadly Clashes Across Hill Districts
This tense standoff unfolds against a sudden escalation of armed hostility across several districts over the past week. Gunfire erupted across Kamjong, Ukhrul and Kangpokpi on Friday and Saturday, resulting in the deaths of at least nine individuals in distinct shooting episodes. The flashpoint was ignited late Friday night in Chassad village, a Kuki-settled pocket situated inside the Naga-majority district of Kamjong, when unidentified shooters killed a 22-year-old mother of five children. That murder provoked sustained exchanges of heavy gunfire between rival Kuki and Naga armed formations that lasted into Saturday morning.
Official Directives and the Broader Conflict
Addressing the escalating hostilities, Chief Minister Y Khemchand Singh condemned the recent spate of killings and ordered relevant authorities to enforce prompt, effective interventions to contain unrest, restore order and protect civilian lives. Tensions between the Kuki and Naga groups have steadily deteriorated since February of this year, with mutual fighting already claiming more than 50 lives and causing the burning of dozens of residences. This comes on top of earlier protracted ethnic turmoil in the state between the Imphal Valley-based Meitei populace and the Kuki residents of the surrounding hills, a prolonged crisis that resulted in more than 300 deaths, left 49 individuals missing, and forced thousands into displacement camps.
