A 53-year-old man was killed by unidentified gunmen suspected of being from a Naga armed group on Saturday in Manipur’s Guvanganj village in Kangpokpi district, police said on Sunday.
The deceased has been identified as Haulal Singhsit, a farmer. The police said that the accident occurred around 5.30 pm on Saturday at Guvaganj Imphal-Tamonjlong (IT) village road under Chalvah police station limits.
The farmer was working in the rice field with his wife when the attack occurred.
According to the police, his wife fled the scene, but Haulal died of multiple bullet wounds.
The police recovered the body and transported it to Kangbukpi District Hospital.
A case was registered at the relevant police station for further investigation.
Officers said that the identity of the person involved in the crime has not yet been identified, and an investigation is underway to arrest the perpetrators of the crime.
On Saturday, two people were arrested for burning six houses in Manipur’s Kanto Sabal village, a Meitei village in Kangpokpi district.
Read also:A couple was detained for their involvement in the killing of 6 people from the Naga tribe in Manipur, which is witnessing ethnic violence
Tensions rose in the area after a double ambush killed four people including three church leaders and a Naga man on May 13. Following this, a Kuki-Zu group kidnapped 20 survivors in Lilon Phifei, Kangbukpi District, while in retaliation, Naga Corpses also detained 28 Kuki members in Senapati District.
Later on May 15 and 14 all of them were released. On 9 June, the Naga group again released another 14 Kuki captives, in exchange for the exchange of the remaining six Nagas held hostage by the Kuki group. However, the mutilated bodies of the six Nagas were found on June 10 near Kharam Faife, Kangbukpi District near Lilon Faife.
Since then, Naga civic bodies have launched an indefinite economic blockade along the national highway NH-2 (Imphal-Dimapur) and NH-37 (Imphal-Silchar via Jiribam). Besides, Kuki bodies also protested to demand the end of the ongoing blockade.
As part of the investigation into the murder of six Nagas, the National Investigation Agency (NIA) with the help of Manipur Police and CRPF arrested a couple involved in the case.
Regarding the NIA case, Prime Minister Yomnam Kemchand said on Saturday that he visited Makhan village along with Meitei and Naga MLAs to meet the affected families, where the victims identified five individuals allegedly involved in the incident.
Based on the names they provided, two suspects have already been arrested. The CM said that it is the responsibility of the government and law enforcement agencies to ensure the arrest of the remaining suspects and that necessary instructions have already been issued.
Ethnic violence in the state since May 2023 has killed at least 260 people and displaced 60,000.
