Protesters block Indo–Myanmar Sugnu road over alleged killing of Meitei civilian in Manipur

Tensions escalated in Manipur on Thursday, January 22, as residents of Kakching Khunou blocked the strategically important Indo–Myanmar Sugnu Road to protest the alleged abduction and killing of a Meitei civilian, Mayanglambam Rishikanta Singh, in Churachandpur district. The road blockade was staged to condemn what the family has described as a “brutal killing” allegedly carried out by suspected Kuki militants.

 

Local residents said the blockade was imposed immediately after news of the killing emerged, with protesters demanding justice and stronger security measures for civilians amid the continuing ethnic unrest in the state. The agitators also announced plans to hold a public meeting to deliberate on further steps in response to the incident.

 

The deceased has been identified as Mayanglambam Rishikanta Singh, a resident of Kakching Khunou Uchan Makhong Leikai in Kakching district. He was the son of M. Tombi Singh and fiance of Chingnu Haokip (38), a resident of Tuibong (Tuibuang) village in Churachandpur district.

According to family members, they were first alerted to the incident after coming across a disturbing video purportedly showing Rishikanta’s killing. This was followed by a phone call from the deceased's fiance, who informed them that he had been abducted and killed by armed assailants.

Speaking to the media, a family member said Rishikanta who was engaged to the Kuki woman, was working in Nepal. “Before the outbreak of the ethnic violence, we were in regular touch with him. However, communication became infrequent after the crisis began,” the family member said.

As per information shared by Rishikanta’s fiance, he had left Nepal on December 17 and arrived in Churachandpur on December 19 to reunite with her. On the evening of the incident, January 21, around 6:30 pm, three unidentified armed men allegedly arrived at their residence and forcibly abducted him.

The fiance reportedly told the family that she attempted to stop the assailants but was overpowered. According to her account, both she and Rishikanta were taken in a four-wheeler to a secluded location. She was later pushed out of the vehicle, while Rishikanta was taken towards a nearby hill area, where he was allegedly shot dead. A video of alleged incident is now going viral.
 

A formal complaint has been lodged at Waikhong Police Station, seeking a thorough investigation and strict action against those responsible. The complaint states that at around 1:45 am on January 22, the family received telephonic confirmation from Chingnu Haokip regarding the abduction and killing.

Police officials confirmed that a case has been registered and an investigation is underway to establish the sequence of events and identify the perpetrators. Authorities have urged the public to maintain calm as probe continue.