Tamenglong: On a day that the Kuki community worldwide observes as Sahnit-Ni — Kuki Black Day — to mourn more than one thousand innocent Kukis massacred in the 1990s ethnic cleansing including the infamous Joupi massacre of 13th September 1993, fresh blood was shed again in the hills of Tamenglong district.
In two separate, calculated attacks allegedly carried out by armed cadres of the NSCN-IM, four precious Kuki lives were snuffed out within hours, leaving a child critically injured and one more villager missing. The victims are Mr. Seineh Singsit and his wife Mrs. Lhingzangai Singsit of L. Tollen village, and Miss Julie Gangte and Mr. Thangvel Gangte of Longpi village. All were innocent civilians.
The first attack took place at around 4:00 AM at L. Tollen Village, a remote Kuki village in Tamenglong bordering Kangpokpi. According to villagers, heavily armed miscreants, alleged to be NSCN-IM cadres, stormed the village and targeted the house of Mr. Seineh Singsit. They opened indiscriminate fire on the sleeping family. Mrs. Lhingzangai Singsit died on the spot inside her home, while her husband Mr. Seineh Singsit succumbed to bullet injuries while being shifted. Their minor child, who was sleeping beside them, was also hit by a bullet and injured. The child is now undergoing treatment in Kangpokpi and is said to be traumatized after witnessing the killing of both parents.
Hours later, a second ambush was reported near Longpi Village. Three youths from Longpi Village were transporting rice supplies for their families when they were waylaid near Longpi Vengthah, a forested stretch locals say is frequently used by NSCN-IM. The armed cadres opened fire at close range. Miss Julie Gangte and Mr. Thangvel Gangte were shot dead on the spot near the rice sacks they were carrying. The third person from Longpi Village accompanying them remains missing and villagers fear he may have been abducted or is lying injured in the jungle. Search operations are underway.
With this, four Kukis were killed on 13th September 2026, one child injured and one missing. Community elders said the pattern — targeting civilians, couples and youths carrying food — is identical to the 1990s tactics and is a deliberate attempt to intimidate Kuki villages in Tamenglong.
Following the attacks, hundreds of villagers, especially women and children, have fled L. Tollen and Longpi and taken shelter in forests and safer villages in Kangpokpi. Village authorities allege that response from security forces has been slow due to remoteness. Assam Rifles and Manipur Police have rushed and launched combing operations, but no arrests have been made till filing of this report.
The Kuki National Democratic Front (KNDF), which had earlier called for peaceful observance of Black Day recalling the suffering of the 1990s, has strongly condemned the twin attacks. Kuki Inpi, KSO and Kuki Women Union have demanded immediate deployment of Central Forces in vulnerable Kuki villages in Tamenglong, immediate search to trace the missing Longpi villager, best treatment and compensation for the injured child, and transfer of both cases to NIA for impartial probe.
The incidents have raised serious questions over the Naga peace talks and the ceasefire ground rules of NSCN-IM. Locals said all this happens because India has given a license of killing to NSCN-IM under the ceasefire agreement. They questioned how a group under ceasefire with Government of India can freely move with sophisticated weapons and carry out civilian killings and still enjoy impunity. If NSCN-IM cadres are indeed behind the killings of Mr. Seineh Singsit, Mrs. Lhingzangai Singsit, Miss Julie Gangte and Mr. Thangvel Gangte, it is a clear violation of ceasefire ground rules and should invite strict action including abrogation of ceasefire in Kuki inhabited areas. They urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah to intervene immediately so that Kuki Black Day is not turned into a day of fresh ethnic cleansing.
