Five Kuki men killed in Manipur within 24 hours
The deaths occurred amid rising tensions and protests regarding the Suspension of Operations agreement.
Five men from the Kuki community were killed in Manipur within a 24-hour period, according to reports from Scroll, Deccan Herald and Deccan Chronicle. Three men died during a gunfight between unidentified armed groups in Noney district on Saturday, while the bodies of two others were recovered on Sunday.
The two men found on Sunday, identified as 21-year-old Thangginlun Congloi and 20-year-old Paoginlal Hangsing, had been missing from Taphou Kuki village since October 28. Security forces recovered their bodies from an area along NH-2 in Kangpokpi district.
The three men killed on Saturday were identified as Thanglensang Singson, Thangkhosei Haokip and Lamminsang Kipgen. Kuki Inpi Manipur stated these men were village volunteers from Churachandpur district.
Kuki organisations have alleged the involvement of Naga armed groups in the killings, though the NSCN-IM has denied such involvement. The Kuki Human Rights Forum has called for a formal investigation into the attacks.
These incidents occurred as Meitei organisations held rallies in Imphal to demand the scrapping of the Suspension of Operations agreement. Naga civil society groups also conducted demonstrations in various hill districts to support the Imphal protests and demand the termination of the same agreement.
Deputy Chief Ministers Nemcha Kipgen and Losii Dikho both condemned the killings as tensions between the Naga and Kuki communities continue to rise.