Manipur: Woman farmer killed, two hurt in firing on Kangpokpi-Senapati border; 48-hour shutdown called

A woman farmer in her early forties was killed and two men were injured on Thursday when gunfire broke out along the boundary of Manipur's Kangpokpi and Senapati districts, near Taphou Kuki village and Kailengjang.

The firing began at around 11 am, while villagers were working in the paddy fields, and continued for some time, according to reports. The woman died of bullet wounds at the spot. The two injured men, both from the same village, were taken to hospital in Kangpokpi.

What is known

Accounts of who opened fire differ, and officials have not named any group. Police said additional personnel from the state police, CRPF, BSF and Assam Rifles were rushed to the area and search operations were under way to prevent the situation from escalating.

Shutdown and reactions

The Committee on Tribal Unity (CoTU), Sadar Hills, called a 48-hour total shutdown in Kangpokpi district from midnight on Thursday. It demanded that the Centre and the state withdraw the security forces operating in the area under the Senapati district police, alleging they had failed to protect civilians. There was no response from the authorities to the demand in the reports.

Deputy Chief Minister Nemcha Kipgen condemned the killing, calling it an affront to human dignity, and sought a prompt and impartial investigation. She appealed to communities to support the bereaved family.

The incident comes amid tension in the area over the earlier abduction and killing of two young men from the same village, whose bodies were found in Senapati district. CoTU had already begun sit-in protests across Kangpokpi from 12 November, saying the government had not acted on its demands for justice in that case.

Why it matters

Kangpokpi sits on NH-2, a lifeline for supplies to the Imphal valley, and repeated shutdowns in the district disrupt movement of goods and people across the state. The latest violence is a setback to efforts to restore normal life more than three years after ethnic conflict broke out in Manipur in May 2023.