Photo Courtesy: India Today Group
Imphal: A 58-year-old villager was killed during a suspected militant attack in the Kangpokpi district of Manipur on Monday. Chungjanglung Panmei, TRC Follower from Naga Religious Minority of the Rongmei Naga community from Pongringlong Part-I village, was part of a group of nine residents who entered a forested area near Tupul to collect firewood and repair water pipelines.
Around 6:40 a.m., unidentified armed assailants fired on the group from a distance of approximately 500 metres. While eight villagers escaped, Panmei was struck in the leg and went missing. Police launched a search operation and recovered his body at 1:30 p.m. Preliminary examinations indicated multiple gunshot wounds, including injuries to the head, suggesting he may have been shot at close range after his initial wounding.
The Pongringlong Youth Club has condemned the incident and called for an official inquiry. In their statement, the group described the killing as a "matter of serious concern" and urged authorities to ensure an impartial investigation. While some local reports identified Panmei as a village guard, village authorities clarified that he was a member of the village authority acting in a civilian capacity during the maintenance work.
Police have sent the body to a hospital in Imphal for a post-mortem examination. No arrests have been made, and the perpetrators remain unidentified. This death follows a series of violent incidents in the region, including the killing of three Kuki community members on June 5. Security agencies are maintaining a presence in the hill districts as tensions in Manipur persist.
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