Manipur: Kuki body condemns attack on Mongkot Chepu villagers, demands immediate rescue

A Kuki civil society body has strongly condemned an armed attack on villagers of Mongkot Chepu in Manipur's Ukhrul district on March 23, after gunmen opened fire on civilians engaged in farming, leaving at least one young girl shot and more than 20 people stranded in the fields.

The Kuki CSO Working Committee, Ukhrul, said in a statement that Tangkhul armed volunteers fired on innocent villagers at the Lengthei Mol farming area — located roughly 500–600 metres from the main settlement — at around 1:07 pm. The attackers reportedly fired from a hilltop position opposite Lilen, across the Thoubal River.

As of the time of the statement, the firing had not stopped. More than 20 villagers, including women, remained trapped in the fields. "This is a grave and inhumane act that amounts to a direct assault on civilian life and dignity," the committee said.

The statement also flagged a wider public safety risk: the ongoing firing placed commuters along the Ukhrul highway in direct danger, with stray bullets capable of striking passing vehicles.

Monday's incident is the latest in a string of violent episodes along the Litan–Shangkai stretch of NH-202, a road that serves as the only lifeline for over two lakh residents of Ukhrul and Kamjong districts. Tensions have been simmering since an arson attack in Litan on 8 February, and deteriorated further after an indefinite blockade was imposed by the Kuki community on 13 March, following the discovery of two bodies in the Thawai forest.

On March 19, gunfights broke out at multiple locations in the district, including Sirarakhong, Sinakeithei, and Mongkot Chepu — prompting officials to describe it as a possible coordinated escalation. Earlier in February, security forces had dismantled four bunkers at Mongkot Chepu and recovered 24 rounds of empty fired cartridges.

The committee issued four demands to the government and security agencies: an immediate halt to the firing and rescue of trapped villagers; securing of the Ukhrul highway; urgent combing operations at Shikibung, S. Laho and Sinakeithel to disarm armed elements; and "strict accountability and exemplary action against those involved."

"Failure to act swiftly will only embolden such perpetrators and further endanger innocent lives," the statement warned. "The protection of civilians must not be compromised under any circumstances."