Manipur: Elderly Kuki-Zo woman killed in crossfire during security op; protests erupt

An elderly Kuki-Zo woman was killed in crossfire between security forces and armed men in Manipur’s Churachandpur district on Thursday, police said.

The incident happened when security forces launched a search operation after a Meitei farmer received gunshot wounds while working in the fields in the valley district of Bishnupur after shots were fired from the surrounding hills, they said.

According to police, security personnel moved into Langchingmanbi, Heichanglok, and adjoining areas in search of the attackers.

“During the course of the operation, security forces came under fire from unknown armed men and retaliated accordingly,” police said.

Amidst the exchange of fire, the woman, identified as Hoikholhing, wife of Langchingmanbi village chief, was found dead with a bullet injury, police said.

Her body was taken to the Churachandpur District Hospital for post-mortem examination.

Police said a case has been registered, and investigations are ongoing.

Combined security forces are continuing search operations in the region.

“Every effort is being made to bring the culprits to justice at the earliest,” officials said, urging the public to maintain peace and avoid circulating unverified information.

Condemning the incident, the Kuki Women Organisation for Human Rights (KWOHR) termed the incident “brutal” and “a grim reminder of the ongoing ethnic cleansing and targeted violence” against the community.

In a statement by its information and publicity department, KWOHR alleged that the woman was “shot dead by Meitei militants”.

“The horrific killing of Hoikholhing is not an isolated act of violence, but part of a systematic and targeted campaign against the Kuki people,” the group stated.

Meanwhile, the Indigenous Tribal Leaders’ Forum (ITLF) declared an indefinite shutdown in Churachandpur in protest against the killing of the woman.

In a strongly worded press release, the ITLF said the shutdown would serve as a mark of mourning and protest.

Earlier during the day, a farmer was shot at while he was working in the fields in the same area after armed men allegedly opened fire from the surrounding hills, officials said.

Ningthoujam Biren, who was admitted to a hospital with gunshot wounds, said, “I was working in the fields when five rounds were fired.” Farmers, who were working with him, claimed that the shots were fired from the nearby hills, according to officials.

Located on the periphery of the Imphal valley, the vast farmlands of Phubala are surrounded by the hills in Churachandpur district on one side.

Protesting the incident, locals called a shutdown in Phubala. The movement of security forces was blocked in some areas of the district, they said.

Over 250 people have been killed after ethnic clashes broke out between the Meiteis, who live in the valley, and Kukis, who dominate the surrounding hills, in May 2023.