The victims were reportedly attacked while inside a house that belonged to the village chief of Kalenjang in Senapati district on Saturday afternoon. Two Naga civilians were killed and two others injured after armed assailants opened fire in a fresh incident of violence in Manipur.
Manipur Chief Minister Yumnam Khemchand Singh was in the Mao area on Saturday, which is nearly 30 km from the incident site.
The victims who lost their lives have been identified as Rocky and Kumar of two different villages of Senapati district. “Hon’ble Chief Minister of Manipur, Shri Yumnam Khemchand Singh, has condemned the killing of two civilians and injuring two others by unidentified militants at Kalajan village in Senapati district today. The police reached the area shortly after the firing to assess the situation. However, details of what led to the attack remain unknown at this stage. The identities and condition of the two injured persons were not immediately available. Local sources allege that members of the Kuki tribe were behind the attack. However, there has been no official response on the same, or on the identity of those responsible. The latest killings took place two days after four civilians were killed in an armed attack in Kamjong district near the India-Myanmar border . The incident had heightened concerns among Naga civil society organisations over the security of Naga civilians. The Chief Minister termed the attack a cowardly act of violence against innocent lives. The Chief Minister was attending the Silver Jubilee celebrations of Don Bosco College (Autonomous), Maram. The Kalenjang incident occurred on the day when the United Naga Council (UNC) agreed to temporarily suspend its economic blockade following tripartite talks with the Centre and the Manipur government in Assam. The blockade had been linked to the UNC’s demands concerning the killing of six Naga men abducted in May. The Naga body has also sought action against those allegedly involved in the abduction and killings and has demanded that the Kuki National Front-President (KNF-P) be designated a terrorist organisation. Their bodies were subsequently recovered in June. The UNC had made justice for the victims a central issue in its agitation. Read More: “Don’t Force Us… Supreme Court Slams Manipur Over Deaths At Relief Camps The Kalenjang firing comes against the backdrop of two successive attacks involving Naga civilians within a short period, as well as heightened Naga-Kuki tensions and the UNC’s negotiations with the Centre and state government. The incident has also brought renewed attention to the security situation in Kalenjang.
Chief Minister Yumnam Khemchand Singh was in the Mao area on Saturday, which is nearly 30 km from the incident site. Read More: Centre Extends AFSPA In Parts Of Manipur, Nagaland, Arunachal For 6 Months United Naga Council’s key demands include the revocation of the Suspension of Operations (SoO) agreement with Kuki armed groups, immediate removal of Deputy Chief Minister Nemcha Kipgen, and justice for the six Naga men who were abducted in May and subsequently killed. The six men were abducted from Manipur’s Leilon Vaiphei village on May 13, according to the UNC and other Naga organisations.
Manipur Chief Minister Yumnam Khemchand Singh “condemned” the incident and termed it “a cowardly act of violence against innocent lives”. The two individuals who sustained injuries have been shifted to a hospital in Senapati for immediate medical treatment,” the Manipur Chief Minister’s Office said in a post on X. “The Chief Minister conveyed his heartfelt condolences to the bereaved families and prayed for the speedy recovery of the injured,” it added. Two houses in the village were allegedly set ablaze by criminals in July, according to local sources.
