Two Kuki women were allegedly shot dead in Manipur’s Tamenglong district, days after four civilians were killed.
Kuki groups alleged involvement of Naga armed groups, including NSCN-IM, while the claims remain independently unverified.
Kuki-Zo Council halted burials of civilians allegedly killed by Naga armed groups, citing continued violence and accountability concerns.
Two days after four Kuki civilians, including a married couple, were killed, two more Kuki women were allegedly shot dead in Leisang, a remote village in Manipur’s Tamenglong district.
The victims have been identified as 79-year-old Nu Chonga Sitlhou and 30-year-old Kimboi Singson. According to local residents, Sitlhou was gathering firewood at her farm when she came under fire. Singson, who had recently completed her nursing studies, had returned home and was helping her parents with farming when she was allegedly killed.
Kuki groups have alleged that armed Naga groups, including the National Socialist Council of Nagaland-Isak-Muivah (NSCN-IM), were behind the attack. The allegations could not be independently verified.
Several farmhouses in and around Leisang were also reportedly torched, raising concerns over the destruction of civilian property and agricultural livelihoods in the area.
The killings come amid renewed violence between Kuki-Zo and Naga groups in parts of Manipur. The September 13 killings of four Kuki civilians had triggered widespread condemnation, with Kuki organisations demanding an immediate investigation by the National Investigation Agency (NIA) and stronger security for vulnerable settlements.
In the wake of the recent killings, the Kuki-Zo Council (KZC) has also announced a decision to halt the burial of Kuki-Zo civilians killed by Naga armed groups until further notice.
In a statement issued to civil society organisations across Kuki-Zo districts, the council directed that the mortal remains of such victims be kept in the nearest available cold-storage facility until further directions. The KZC said the move was intended to protest what it described as the continuing killings of Kuki-Zo civilians and the failure to ensure accountability for those responsible.
The council also directed civil society leaders to implement the decision and cooperate with its enforcement.
