Reported by Bit Irom
Imphal: Fresh violence has flared up in Manipur‘s hill districts following the killing of a Rongmei Naga civilian, culminating in a gunfight along the Imphal-Tamenglong (IT) Road that left a suspected Kuki militant dead on Tuesday, according to reports.
The deceased militant has been identified as 50-year-old Haogin Lhouvum, who was allegedly killed during an armed confrontation between rival groups near Lasan and Makui villages under the jurisdiction of Chalwa Police Station. Reports said intermittent gunfire continued in the area until around 2 pm, prompting security forces to rush to the spot and launch extensive search operations to restore normalcy.
The latest clash came a day after the killing of 57-year-old Chunjanglung Panmei, a resident of Pongringlong Part-2 village. Panmei was reportedly ambushed and shot dead by suspected Kuki militants on June 8 while he, along with other villagers, was collecting firewood and repairing water pipelines. His body was later recovered bearing multiple bullet wounds.
After post-mortem examinations and legal formalities were completed at the Regional Institute of Medical Sciences (RIMS) mortuary in Imphal, Panmei’s body was handed over to his family on Tuesday in the presence of leaders from various Naga civil society organizations.
As his mortal remains reached Pongringlong Part-2 village near Tupul, a large joint condolence service was organised by the Joint Tribes’ Council, Manipur, in collaboration with the Coordination Committee, Longmai Area. Hundreds of people from the Longmai (Noney) region gathered at Tupul Playground to pay their final respects and participate in the last rites before Panmei was laid to rest.