KANGPOKPI — Gunmen opened fire on villagers harvesting paddy at Taphou Kuki village in Manipur's Kangpokpi district on Thursday morning, killing a 40-year-old woman and critically wounding two men.
Panic swept the fields along National Highway 2 as bullets ripped through the harvest shortly after 11 a.m. Farmers dropped sickles and ran for cover. The dead woman was identified as Kimneineng Chongloi. Two fellow villagers, 34-year-old Sehngam Chongloi, also known as David, and Lamkhochon Chongloi, sustained bullet wounds in the assault. Local emergency responders rushed Sehngam Chongloi to the Regional Institute of Medical Sciences (RIMS) in Imphal at around 3 p.m. for specialised trauma care.
Simultaneous bursts of gunfire rattled the Sinakeithei area nearby, forcing village volunteers to divert civilian traffic away from the arterial highway. Police officials confirmed the casualties but stated that the identities of the attackers remain unconfirmed as search teams comb the surrounding ridges.
The shooting shattered an uneasy harvest season across the hills. Farmhands fled under live fire as rounds pinged across terraces just off the highway corridor. Taphou elders immediately posted warnings to travellers, closing an active sector of National Highway 2 to prevent civilian ambushes.
The Committee on Tribal Unity (CoTU), Sadar Hills, issued a blistering condemnation of the assault, directly targeting the state's security apparatus for failing to safeguard rural workers. CoTU leadership pointed to the operational presence of the 112, 142, and 152 battalions of the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) stationed in the vicinity, demanding answers as to how heavily armed cadres breached the perimeter in broad daylight.
The tribal organisation directly blamed armed outfits, alleging attacks by the Tangkhul-led NSCN-IM and ZUF-K, while denouncing what it termed an indifferent administrative response to the safety of Kuki-Zo villagers.
This is the brutal murder of a defenceless Kuki
Zo woman who was harvesting paddy near Taphou Kuki village. The authorities must ensure a prompt, thorough, and impartial investigation to bring those responsible to justice." — Nemcha Kipgen, Deputy Chief Minister
Deputy Chief Minister Nemcha Kipgen, issuing a formal statement from Kangpokpi, called for restraint among local communities while demanding immediate legal action against the perpetrators.
Tension had already gripped Taphou Kuki village following the recent killing of two local youths. Paoginlal Hangsing and Tinginlun Chongloi, both 20 years old, disappeared on October 28. Search teams recovered their bodies on November 1 along SP Road, east of National Highway 2.
Local outrage was swift. CoTU refused to claim the youths' remains, staging street demonstrations and issuing a formal charter of demands that insisted the state government transfer territorial administrative control from Senapati police station to Kangpokpi district jurisdiction. Chief Minister Yumnam Khemchand Singh had toured Taphou Kuki village only days before Thursday's shooting to assess the fragile standoff.
| Incident Parameter | Official Detail |
|---|---|
| Location | Taphou Kuki Village, Kangpokpi District |
| Fatalities | Kimneineng Chongloi (40) |
| Injured | Sehngam Chongloi (34), Lamkhochon Chongloi |
| Critical Referral | RIMS Hospital, Imphal |
| Nearby Unrest | Gunfire reported at Sinakeithei |
| Central Security Present | CRPF 112, 142, and 152 Battalions |
Police and central paramilitary forces have expanded armed patrols across the Taphou and Sinakeithei sectors, while state investigators prepare formal FIRs to identify the armed units behind the ambush.