CoTU declares shutdown following killing of village chief’s wife in Churachandpur

A village chief's wife was shot dead in Churachandpur district on Thursday, triggering widespread condemnation from tribal organisations and a two-day shutdown across the Sadar Hills region.

Hoikholhing, wife of the Chief of Langchingmanbi Village, succumbed to her injuries after being shot in what the Committee on Tribal Unity (CoTU) described as a "brutal and cold-blooded killing."

The incident has escalated tensions in the already volatile region, with CoTU announcing a "Total Shutdown" from 1:00 pm Friday to 6:00 pm Saturday as a mark of protest and mourning.

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.

"This heinous act is not an isolated incident. It is yet another targeted assault in what has now become a systematic campaign of state-sponsored ethnic cleansing against the Kuki-Zo minority," CoTU stated in a media release issued Thursday evening.

The tribal organisation held the state government directly responsible, alleging that authorities have failed to prevent repeated violations of the Buffer Zone by armed groups despite warnings about the deteriorating security situation.

"The silence and inaction of the authorities, despite repeated warnings, have enabled this culture of impunity to flourish," the statement read, adding that security forces had "failed in their constitutional duty to protect the vulnerable."

CoTU has demanded immediate action against those responsible for the killing, intervention by the Central Government to ensure protection of tribal lives and territory, and an independent investigation into Buffer Zone violations.

The organisation called on all communities and institutions to observe the shutdown, describing it as both a protest against the violence and a period of mourning for the deceased chief's wife.