Imphal: Four people killed in a November 13 ambush near New Heaven were moved to the Jawaharlal Nehru Institute of Medical Sciences mortuary in Imphal on Saturday, November 14. Suspected militants opened fire at close range on National Highway 202. The victims are Kapangkhui RS, Haoleila RS, Tychicus Ngalung, and Tanmila Keishing. Families refuse to claim the bodies until their demands are met.
Naga MLAs, including Leishiyo Keishing, Dinganglung Gangmei, Kashim Vashum, and Tongbram Robindro, visited the mortuary to pay respects. Keishing labeled the attack barbaric. He argued that central forces currently stationed in the area have failed to stop the violence. He wants state security personnel to take over these posts.
The Tangkhul Naga Long issued a three-day ultimatum to the state and central governments. They demand the removal of Kuki militants from Naga areas and an immediate National Investigation Agency probe into the killings. The group noted this is the fourth attack at this specific location. It occurred just metres from central security deployments.
Hill Areas Committee chairman Dinganglung Gangmei demanded immediate, aggressive action from law enforcement. "I have asked all law enforcement agencies and decision-makers to take firm decisions to root out militants and anti-state elements creating havoc in our state. We have witnessed the hidden agenda of a proxy war, and we are not happy," Gangmei said. Civil society groups held a prayer service for the dead. The Tangkhul Naga Long warned of indefinite agitation if the government ignores the deadline.
Updated at 14th November 2026 at 9:48pm
Congress Rajya Sabha MP and AICC in-charge of Manipur, Christopher Tilak, visited the JNIMS mortuary on Saturday. He slammed the government for its failure to handle the crisis and promised to force the issue during the upcoming Winter Session of Parliament. Tilak noted that the prolonged violence is gutting the state economy and questioned if the government has any real plan to stop the bloodshed.
New details clarify the victims' identities: the four killed include Kapangkhui Raihing and his mother, Haoleila Raihing, from Shangshak village, and Augustine Ngalung and his sister, Tanmila, from Tashar village. A diverse crowd of Naga and Meitei community members joined local civil society groups at the mortuary to pay their respects.
Updated at 15th November 2026 at 1:47am
COCOMI convenor YK Dhiren joined the chorus of criticism at the mortuary, questioning the government's priorities. He demanded that security personnel currently assigned to VIP protection be pulled from those posts and redeployed to vulnerable highway stretches. Dhiren noted a shift in insurgent tactics, pointing out that while past attacks usually involved long-range fire, this assault was executed at close range.
MLA Leishiyo Keishing noted that the state government recently convened a meeting with civil society organizations to address the worsening security situation. He conceded that protecting the state's vast, dense forests presents a significant operational challenge for police and state forces.
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