Manipur: A 58-year-old villager was shot dead by armed persons in Manipur’s Kangpokpi district on Monday while he had gone to collect firewood with a group of villagers, police said.
The deceased was identified as Chungjanglung Panmei, a resident of Pongringlong Part-I village belonging to the Rongmei Naga community.
Attack During Firewood Collection
According to police officials, nine villagers had entered a nearby forest area around 6.40 am to collect firewood and repair water pipes when armed men allegedly opened fire from a distance.
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Most of the villagers managed to escape from the spot. However, Panmei suffered bullet injuries and went missing during the attack. Police teams later launched a search operation in the area and recovered his body in the afternoon.
Multiple Bullet Injuries Found
Officials said the body bore multiple bullet injury marks, including wounds on the head. The body was later shifted to an Imphal hospital for post-mortem examination.
Police suspect armed Kuki militants were behind the attack, though investigations are still underway.
Local Bodies Demand Probe
The Pongringlong Youth Club condemned the killing and demanded a thorough investigation into the incident.
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Meanwhile, the village authority clarified that Panmei was not a village guard, as initially reported, but a member of the village authority who had gone with other villagers for routine work.
Tensions continue in Manipur
The incident comes amid continuing tensions between Kuki and Naga communities in parts of Manipur.
Earlier on June 5, three villagers from the Kuki community were killed in another attack in Kangpokpi district. Violence in the region has escalated since May following multiple ambush incidents and hostage crises involving both communities.
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