Kuki woman killed and family injured in early-morning Manipur attack

Armed men launched an early-morning attack on a family home in Manipur’s Tamenglong district on Sunday, killing a woman and injuring her husband and infant son.

The shooting occurred at around 4:00 am in Tollen, a Kuki village situated near National Highway 37, which links Imphal with Jiribam.

Lhingjangai Singsit was shot dead inside her home. Her husband, Seineh Singsit, suffered serious gunshot wounds and is receiving medical care, while their youngest son sustained bullet wounds to his arm and buttocks. Three of the couple’s other children were initially feared missing in the immediate aftermath of the gunfire, but local sources confirmed they were later located unharmed.

The attack occurred on September 13, a highly sensitive date in the region. The day is observed by the Kuki community as "Sahnit Ni" or Kuki Black Day, which commemorates the victims of bloody inter-communal clashes between Kuki and Naga groups during the 1990s. Specifically, it marks the anniversary of the 1993 Joupi massacre, a tragedy in which scores of Kuki civilians were killed. Over 1,000 people lost their lives during the wider conflict.

Local residents alleged that cadres of the National Socialist Council of Nagaland (Isak-Muivah), known as the NSCN-IM, and Naga Village Guards were involved in Sunday's shooting. However, police officers said they have not yet identified the perpetrators, and no group has claimed responsibility.

In an effort to defuse rising tensions, the Kaimai Village Authority—representing a nearby Naga village—issued a sharp condemnation of the incident. The authority called the shooting "a deliberate and malicious attempt to create disharmony, suspicion and division between the different communities that have long lived together peacefully."

They urged community elders and civil society leaders to step forward to protect peace, pleading with both Naga and Kuki residents to refrain from spreading rumours or engaging in provocations that could escalate tensions.

The Kuki Youth Organisation Women's Council also expressed grief, describing the violence on a day of remembrance as "particularly painful." The group demanded a thorough investigation, improved intelligence measures, and better security for vulnerable civilians in remote areas.

Security forces have deployed to the remote settlement, which sits in the Tousem area of Tamenglong West. The region’s rugged terrain and poor road network make emergency medical evacuations difficult, but police said forces arrived to secure the village and assist the injured family.