Manipur ambush survivor says attackers wore camouflage uniforms

A survivor of the ambush in Manipur’s Kangpokpi district that killed four Naga civilians said on Friday, August 28, that the attackers were wearing full camouflage uniforms and fired at their vehicle from an isolated area.

Forty-four-year-old Gaikamang Ringkangmai, who sustained a bullet injury to his left arm, is undergoing treatment at Senapati District Hospital. He was rescued by security forces from the ambush site.

“I am from Makui village. Yesterday, there were six of us in a vehicle. We frequently travelled by that route. We were going to Senapati district when we were ambushed by militants. Four of our colleagues died on the spot, while two of us escaped,” Ringkangmai told reporters.

“I received bullet injuries on my arm but jumped from the vehicle and ran to hide in the bushes,” he said.

Ringkangmai claimed that the attackers were positioned in pairs and were wearing full camouflage uniforms.

“They had red ribbons tied to the top of their rifles, from which they continued firing,” he alleged.

The other person who survived the ambush has been identified as Japou MK.

W Charenamei, younger brother of deceased Wisobou Charenamai, chairman of the Chawangkining Village Authority, demanded speedy justice.

“We don’t seek any revenge against the militants. We just want the facts to be established and swift justice for our murdered brothers,” he told reporters.

At least four members of the Naga community were killed and one injured when armed assailants ambushed their vehicle in a forested area of Kangpokpi district on Thursday morning.

The attackers targeted the vehicle in an isolated area between Makui Ashang and Thabamba Naga villages at around 8.30 am, killing four people on the spot, officials said. One of the deceased was the founder and principal of a private school.

Chief Minister Y Khemchand Singh has instructed security officials to identify, arrest and take action against those involved in the killings in the Kuki-majority district.

The United Naga Council (UNC), the apex body of the Naga community in Manipur, accused two Kuki militant outfits — the Kuki National Front (P) and Kuki Revolutionary Army (KRA) — of being involved in the ambush.

The deceased were identified as Tadsongbou Ringkangmai, founder and principal of a private school; M Wijunamai; Anil Wijunamai; and Wisobou Charenamai, chairman of the Chawangkining Village Authority.

All six people who were travelling in the vehicle belong to the Liangmai Naga community.