Toll in militant firing in Manipur’s Senapati rises to 3

The death toll in a firing incident involving suspected militants in Manipur’s Senapati district rose to three on Sunday, September 27, after one of the two injured civilians succumbed to his injuries at a private hospital, officials said.

Ashiho Sani, 49, died at the hospital around 3 am, officials said. His body was subsequently taken to Senapati District Hospital for post-mortem examination.

Suspected militants had shot dead two Naga civilians and injured two others in the incident on Saturday. The deceased were identified as Rocky from Chaowainamai village and Kumar from Laii Shirafii village. The other injured victim, Adani Manio, 33, is undergoing treatment.

The firing took place at Kalenjang village in the Senapati area on Saturday afternoon. Police and security personnel reached the area following the incident and an investigation is underway. Reports have alleged the involvement of armed Kuki groups, but the claim has not been independently verified.

The killings came hours before the United Naga Council (UNC), the apex Naga body in Manipur, announced the suspension of its four-month-old economic blockade along the national highways in the state.

Former Manipur chief minister N Biren Singh condemned the killings and said in a post on X that more than 60 people had been killed in the state this year. He alleged that the two civilians were shot inside their homes while they were asleep and called for those responsible to be held accountable.

The incident came two days after four Tangkhul Naga civilians were killed in a separate attack at Pilong village in Kamjong district, near the India-Myanmar border.

At least 13 people have been killed in separate gun attacks allegedly carried out by suspected militants in Manipur in September, with incidents reported from Tamenglong, Kangpokpi, Noney and Kamjong districts.