Three youths, including a Mohun Bagan footballer, were injured in a dawn bombing as thousands gathered to bury Lasan-Langka victim Jangngam Hangshing, with Kuki Inpi Manipur accusing NSCN-IM and ZUF-K of targeting civilians and demanding an independent probe into security lapses.
By: St. Ginth Haokip, Kukiland Express
Songpi, June 15, 2026: Kangpokpi district descended into fresh turmoil Monday when a dawn bombing in Leilon Munlui village wounded three youths during the funeral of Lasan-Langka attack victim Jangngam Hangshing. Community groups immediately accused NSCN-IM and its alleged proxy ZUF-K of carrying out the strike, calling it a targeted assault on a grieving community as thousands gathered at Phaijang Martyrs’ Cemetery to bury Hangshing with full traditional honours. The attack, which injured a 15-year-old, a 20-year-old displaced person, and an 18-year-old footballer linked to Mohun Bagan, shattered the funeral rites and triggered renewed demands for urgent state and central action against the armed outfits.
The injured — Genlenmang Vaiphei, 15; Paogoulal Chongloi, 18; and Lunliandaw Vaiphei, 20 — were rushed to Imphal for emergency treatment amid reports that a hostile crowd had gathered outside the hospital, raising fears for patient safety. Local chiefs said the bombing struck around 6 a.m., sending villagers fleeing as explosions tore through the settlement. The violence compounded trauma in a district already under an indefinite shutdown following the June 13 Lasan-Langka killings, with civil society groups warning that medical facilities are now becoming flashpoints in Manipur’s deepening crisis.
Jangkhongam @Romeo Hangshing, a resident of Lhouthang Village, Tamenglong District, who was killed in the June 13 Lasan-Langka attack. He was laid to rest with full traditional honours at Phaijang Martyrs’ Cemetery in Kangpokpi on June 15, 2026.
Hangshing’s body was brought to Kangpokpi town Sunday for an overnight vigil at the Town Committee Hall before a post-mortem at the District Hospital on Monday. Leaders from Kuki Inpi Manipur and the Sadar Hills Chiefs’ Association draped traditional shawls over the coffin at Phaijang, where volunteers covered it with the community flag. Rev. Thangsat Kipgen led the burial service, followed by a ceremonial gun salute. Mourners said the solemn farewell was overshadowed by news of the Leilon bombing, turning the cemetery into a rallying point for condemnation of what speakers called systematic attacks on civilian villages.
Kuki Inpi Manipur delivered a blistering statement, calling the bombing “an act of terror against innocent civilians” and “a deliberate assault on a community in mourning.” The apex body said the strike reflects a pattern of impunity where armed groups hit Kuki villages without consequence, and declared that “justice must not be delayed, and peace cannot be restored without accountability.” KIM demanded immediate identification, arrest, and prosecution of the perpetrators, warning that continued inaction would be seen as tacit tolerance of violence. It questioned why security agencies have failed to prevent repeated incursions, arguing that official silence is fueling anger and destroying trust in state institutions.
In a broader rebuke, Kuki Inpi Manipur said the funeral-day attack exposes “the complete breakdown of law and order” in the hills and amounts to collective punishment of an entire community. The organisation accused authorities of unequal responses depending on the victims’ identity and said government credibility now depends on treating attacks on Kuki villages with the same urgency shown elsewhere. KIM pressed for a time-bound, independent inquiry under neutral observers, stating that internal probes have lost public faith after three years of killings, arson, and displacement. It also demanded guaranteed protection for the injured and secure medical corridors to Imphal, calling any threat to hospital access a humanitarian violation.
Paogoulal Chongloi, 18, a footballer associated with Mohun Bagan, pictured here. He was among three youths injured in the dawn bombing of Leilon Munlui village in Kangpokpi on June 15, 2026, along with Genlenmang Vaiphei, 15, and Lunliandaw Vaiphei, 20. All three were rushed to Imphal for emergency treatment.
The Leimakhong Area Chiefs’ Organisation backed KIM’s stand, alleging NSCN/ZUF cadres moved through security-monitored zones before launching the 6 a.m. bombing. LACO cited a viral video purportedly showing local women blocking an Army column while allowing CRPF personnel to pass, and urged an impartial probe into operational gaps. Both groups called on the state and Centre to review current deployments, with LACO seeking a change in CRPF units if public confidence cannot be restored. They reiterated demands for a Separate Administration, arguing that three years of bloodshed prove ad hoc security measures have failed and only a political solution can protect civilians.
Normal life stayed paralysed across Kangpokpi as the indefinite shutdown and economic blockade continued, closing markets, schools, and transport. Residents vowed to maintain the strike until attackers are booked, security lapses are addressed, and safe passage for the wounded is ensured. With funerals becoming protest sites and hospitals turning into security risks, community leaders warn that space for de-escalation is shrinking fast. For Kuki Inpi Manipur, Monday’s bombing was further proof of a “cycle of terror” that will persist without swift justice and structural change in the hills.
