Tamenglong: In yet another brutal attack targeting Kuki civilians, three Kuki villagers including two women were killed and several farmhouses were set ablaze at Leisangphai Kuki village, also known as Muktokhal, in Tamenglong district on Monday afternoon, allegedly by suspected NSCN-IM and ZUF-K militants. The attack, which took place at around 3 pm while the victims were working at their farms, has triggered fresh panic, outrage and a deep sense of insecurity among Kuki villages in Tamenglong, Noney and Jiribam districts. This is the third attack in just three days, after four Kuki civilians were killed at Tollen in Tamenglong and Longpi in Noney on 13 September.
According to local sources, the deceased have been identified as Chonga Sitlhou (60), wife of late Seidou Sitlhou, Kimboi Singson (30), daughter of Paosei Singson, and one more Kuki male villager whose identity is being ascertained. All three were residents of Leisang village. The sources confirmed that Chonga Sitlhou was gathering firewood at her farm when she was shot dead, while Kimboi Singson, a young woman who had recently completed her nursing course and had returned home to assist her parents in farming, was also shot dead at the same location. The third victim, a male farmer, was also killed in the same farm area during the indiscriminate firing.
Both women victims were unarmed female civilians engaged in ordinary livelihood activities at the time of the incident. Kimboi Singson’s killing has sent particular shockwaves through the Kuki community. Villagers described her as a promising young nurse who had just completed her nursing studies and had come back to her village to help her family in farming activities before seeking employment. Her death, along with that of 60-year-old Chonga Sitlhou, has been described by locals as a devastating loss of innocent civilians caught in a prolonged cycle of targeted violence.
Local sources also reported that many other villagers who had gone to their respective farms on Monday have remained missing till the filing of this report. There is growing fear that the number of casualties may rise. Several farmhouses in and around Leisangphai were reportedly torched during the attack, raising concerns that the assault was not limited to killings but involved deliberate destruction of civilian property, food stocks and livelihood assets. The burning of farmhouses has left several families displaced and without shelter.
The incident has been attributed to cadres of NSCN-IM and its alleged proxy ZUF-Kamson faction by local Kuki civil society organisations. This comes amid a series of attacks and killings involving Kuki civilians in the peripheral districts of Jiribam, Tamenglong and Noney over the past few months. Community leaders have repeatedly alleged that Kuki villages located along the vulnerable inter-district and border areas are being systematically targeted, with farmers, women and elderly persons bearing the brunt of the violence.
The fresh killings at Leisang came barely two days after four Kuki civilians, including a married couple, were killed in separate attacks at Tollen village in Tamenglong district and Longpi village in Noney district on 13 September. The September 13 attacks had already sparked widespread condemnation from Kuki CSOs including Kuki Inpi, KSO, Kuki Chiefs’ Association and women bodies, with demands for an immediate investigation by the National Investigation Agency (NIA) and deployment of neutral central forces. The latest bloodshed has now deepened the anger and sense of abandonment among Kuki villagers.
Villagers in Leisangphai and adjoining Kuki settlements said they live in constant fear while going to their farms for cultivation, which is their only source of livelihood. Despite security concerns, families continue to venture into remote fields to sustain themselves, making them vulnerable to ambush and attacks. The repeated targeting of Kuki civilians working in their own farms has raised serious questions over the protection of villagers in peripheral and interior areas where security presence is thin or absent.
Kuki civil society organisations in Tamenglong and Kangpokpi have strongly condemned the Leisang attack and termed it a cowardly and inhuman act against innocent civilians, particularly women. They said the killing of two women and a male farmer who were unarmed and engaged in farming is a clear violation of human rights and international humanitarian norms. The organisations demanded that the Government of India and the State Government take immediate cognizance of the incident and ensure that the perpetrators are brought to justice without delay.
The organisations have further demanded immediate reinforcement of security in Leisangphai and all vulnerable Kuki villages in Tamenglong, Noney and Jiribam districts, a time-bound and impartial investigation by NIA or CBI into the series of killings at Tollen, Longpi and Leisang, immediate relief and compensation for the families of the deceased and those whose farmhouses were torched, and urgent search operations for those reported missing. They also urged the Centre to act against armed militant groups operating in the region and indulging in civilian killings.
The killing of Kimboi Singson, who had only recently completed her nursing course and was reportedly helping her family at their farm, has been highlighted as a symbol of the tragic loss of educated Kuki youth due to the ongoing conflict. Villagers said her aspirations to serve as a nurse and support her community have been brutally cut short. The deaths of Chonga Sitlhou, an elderly woman, and the third male victim have also left the small village in mourning, with families struggling to come to terms with the sudden loss.
The incidents at Tollen, Longpi and now Leisang have fuelled growing fears that violence against civilians is spreading across vulnerable Kuki settlements in Manipur’s hill districts, with ordinary villagers increasingly paying the highest price amid the continuing conflict. Community leaders warned that if concrete steps are not taken immediately to protect Kuki civilians and to stop the cycle of targeted attacks, the situation could deteriorate further. They reiterated their appeal for peace, justice and protection of civilian lives irrespective of community, and urged all concerned to refrain from targeting innocent villagers.
