'A farmer should not have to risk his life': Manipur village questions security over paddy field attack

A farmer was shot and seriously injured while harvesting paddy in Manipur's Ukhrul district on November 12, with the Sinakeithei Village Authority questioning why security personnel stationed nearby allegedly failed to intervene when armed men opened fire.

The incident took place at around 3:05 am on Thursday at Ihang Plains in Sinakeithei village, approximately 300 metres from a residential area. The victim, identified as Newton Mahung (49), son of late Mayonmi Mahung, sustained a gunshot wound to his right forearm and injuries to three fingers of his left hand, excluding the index finger.

According to a press release issued by the Sinakeithei Village Authority, suspected Kuki miscreants opened fire on farmers working in their paddy fields from the Lungter Hills range.

The village authority alleged that the firing occurred close to the 105 G Coy Border Security Force (BSF) post at Sinakeithei Lungter Midhill, where security personnel were already deployed. State Police personnel, Manipur Rifles and the 151 F Coy BSF were also stationed within the residential area of Sinakeithei village.

Questioning the security response, the authority alleged that personnel stationed at the nearby post failed to intervene when farmers came under fire.

It further claimed that the village authority had sought security assistance nearly three weeks before the incident, anticipating possible attacks during the paddy harvesting season.

"Despite this advance request, a farmer has once again been shot while attempting to harvest his own grains," the statement said.

According to the authority, security personnel and the 151 F Coy BSF stationed near Sinakeithei Cemetery responded with counter-fire from the cemetery side, enabling the rescue of the injured farmer and others stranded in the fields.

The village authority has sought an impartial inquiry into the incident, particularly the alleged delay in intervention by personnel stationed at Lungter Midhill.

The statement also highlighted the impact of recurring violence on agricultural activities in the village, saying that barely two per cent of Sinakeithei's total cultivable paddy land had been cultivated this year.

It attributed the disruption to persistent threats to civilian lives and inadequate security arrangements, adding that even the limited cultivation had been possible largely because of the security presence near Sinakeithei Cemetery.

"Sinakeithei is literally fighting a battle for survival," the authority said, adding that residents were being forced to choose between abandoning their ancestral agricultural land and risking their lives to cultivate it.

The village authority has urged the Manipur government and security agencies to ensure immediate medical assistance for the injured farmer and his family, investigate the incident, review security arrangements along the Lungter Hills range and ensure safe access to agricultural fields.

It has also called for preventive action against groups allegedly responsible for repeated attacks and demanded accountability from security personnel.

"A farmer should not have to risk his life to harvest his own paddy. And no village should have to fight for the right to survive," the statement said.