Manipur: Kangpokpi holds candlelight vigil for Kuki civilian killed in suspected militant attack

Hundreds of people gathered in Manipur’s Kangpokpi town on Tuesday, October 20 evening to mourn the killing of a 44-year-old Kuki civilian allegedly shot dead by suspected NSCN-IM and ZUF-K cadres earlier in the day. The mourners held a candlelight vigil along National Highway-2 and demanded justice for the deceased.

The victim, Paolenmung Thangeo, a father of six from P. Moulding village in the Leimakhong region of Kangpokpi district, was allegedly shot while collecting wild bamboo shoots in a forest to support his family, according to the village authority.

Thangeo had ventured into the forest around 7 am with another villager, Laldenga, from Molhoi village, the P. Moulding Village Authority said. While Thangeo succumbed to his injuries, his companion reportedly managed to escape. The village authority said both men were unarmed civilians collecting forest produce for their livelihood.

Following a post-mortem examination at the District Hospital, Thangeo’s body was taken to the Town Community Hall in Kangpokpi, where members of the community gathered to pay their last respects.

A minute’s silence was observed in his memory, followed by a condolence prayer led by the Kangpokpi Town Churches Fellowship. Representatives of the Kuki Inpi Sadar Hills, the Committee on Tribal Unity (CoTU), the Kangpokpi Town Committee, the Kangpokpi Women Welfare Organisation and other civil society groups paid tribute to the deceased by draping a traditional shawl over his body.

The killing has heightened concerns over civilian safety in the district amid continuing tensions in Manipur. Thangeo’s body will be taken to his native village for the last rites.

Meanwhile, CoTU has called a 24-hour shutdown across Kangpokpi district from midnight on Tuesday to midnight on October 21, citing continued insecurity, the arrests of Kuki-Zo individuals in connection with the killing of three Meitei civilians, and what it described as inadequate efforts to ensure justice and rehabilitate families affected by the conflict.

The organisation appealed to members of the Kuki community to observe the shutdown peacefully and maintain unity and discipline. Emergency medical services and other life-saving emergencies have been exempted from the shutdown.