Two Kuki village volunteers killed in pre-dawn attack in Manipur’s Ukhrul; probe, security deployment sought

At least two village volunteers were killed and several civilians, including women and children, were injured after suspected armed militants launched a pre-dawn attack on Kuki villages Mullam and Shongphal in Ukhrul district of Manipur on April 24, a rights body said.

According to the Kuki Organisation for Human Rights Trust (KOHUR), the assault took place around 5:30 a.m. when armed attackers allegedly targeted the villages while residents were asleep, setting houses on fire and opening indiscriminate fire.
Two houses were torched in the attack, while multiple villagers sustained injuries. The condition of the injured was not immediately known.

KOHUR alleged that two Kuki village volunteers on duty were “brutally killed” during the assault while attempting to defend the locality. It further claimed that villagers, using licensed hunting weapons, retaliated and managed to repel the attackers, and that one assailant was “neutralised”.

Describing the incident as “premeditated” and part of a “continuing pattern of aggression”, the organisation said the attack marked a serious escalation and constituted a violation of basic human rights.

KOHUR demanded immediate registration of an FIR and a time-bound probe, along with the identification and arrest of those involved, and strict action under relevant criminal and anti-terror laws.

It also called for the urgent deployment of Central Armed Police Forces in vulnerable villages along the Kuki-Naga periphery to prevent further violence.

The organisation sought ex-gratia compensation and medical support for the injured, as well as recognition and compensation for the families of the two slain volunteers. It also demanded reconstruction of the houses destroyed in the arson attack and rehabilitation of affected families.

Further, KOHUR urged the Manipur government, the Centre, and Tangkhul civil bodies to issue an unequivocal condemnation of the incident and take steps to prevent its recurrence.

Calling for accountability, the rights body demanded an end to what it described as a culture of impunity allegedly enjoyed by armed groups operating under communal and ethnic banners in the State.

Appealing to the National Human Rights Commission and the Ministry of Home Affairs, as well as national and international human rights organisations, civil society, and the media, KOHUR urged urgent cognisance of the attack and the alleged sustained targeting of Kuki-Zo indigenous people.

“Silence in the face of such repeated atrocities is untenable,” the organisation said, calling for swift and visible justice.
KOHUR said it stands in solidarity with the bereaved families, the injured, and the residents of Mullam and Shongphal, and paid tribute to the two village volunteers who lost their lives while defending their community.