Imphal: A 45-year-old Naga farmer was injured in a shooting while harvesting paddy in Manipur’s Ukhrul district on Wednesday, with villagers questioning the response of security personnel stationed near the area.

The incident occurred around 3 pm on November 11 in Sinakeithei village, under Litan Police Station, when suspected Kuki armed miscreants allegedly opened fire on farmers working in their fields from the Lungter Hills range.

The injured farmer, identified as Newton Mahung, son of the late Mayonmi Mahung of Sinakeithei village, sustained a bullet injury to his right shoulder. Security forces rescued him and took him to the District Hospital in Ukhrul for treatment.

According to official reports, joint security forces comprising Ukhrul District Police, the Border Security Force (BSF) and the 6th Manipur Rifles retaliated against the attackers and evacuated other farmers from the area.

Following the incident, residents of Sinakeithei questioned the response of the BSF, alleging that the firing took place near the 105 G Company BSF post at Sinakeithei Lungter Midhill without prompt intervention by personnel stationed there.

Villagers said the local authority had formally sought security assistance three weeks earlier, anticipating possible threats during the paddy harvesting season. They also questioned whether timely action by BSF personnel stationed at Tingpibung could have prevented the attack.

Residents said only around two per cent of the village’s cultivable land was farmed this year, with farmers relying heavily on protection from the 151 F Company BSF stationed at the Sinakeithei Cemetery.

According to villagers, the evacuation of farmers became possible only after state forces and personnel of the 151 F Company opened counter-fire from the cemetery side.

Describing the situation as a struggle for survival, residents urged higher authorities to ensure accountability and strengthen security arrangements to protect their lives and livelihoods.

The latest shooting adds to concerns over repeated attacks on farm workers in the area. In March 2026, a Tangkhul Naga woman and her son were trapped in their fields for hours after suspected militants fired from fortified bunker positions in the same hill range.

They were later rescued by Mahar Regiment personnel using armoured Casspir vehicles.

Villagers have repeatedly raised concerns over Sinakeithei’s vulnerability, citing the presence of armed groups in the surrounding elevated terrain.