Three Kuki-Zo persons were killed early on Tuesday in Manipur’s Kangpokpi district when their vehicle was ambushed by armed miscreants, police said. The men were killed on a muddy road near Kangchup that had recently been built by locals. The five-km road that connects Kuki-Zo villages in Kangchup and Kangpokpi district headquarters was carved out after violence erupted in the State on May 3 as the highway and alternative routes remained blocked by civil society groups. The deceased were identified as Satneo Tuboi (37), Ngamminlun Lhovoum (30) and Ngamminlun Kipgen (32), all residents of Kangpokpi district.
A local said the incident took place around 6.30 a.m. between Ireng Naga village and Kharam Vaiphei Kuki village. The men were on their way to district headquarters to avail medical attention and buy essentials. “They were shot point-blank,” said the local on condition of anonymity.
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The local said the place of incident is much beyond the buffer zone that is manned by the Central security forces. Buffer zones have been created in the foothills where Kuki-Zo and Meitei settlements merge.
The local said the miscreants likely sneaked in from the valley side and eyewitnesses in a nearby Naga village saw around 9-10 armed men in police uniforms in the morning. “We had seen movement of drones in this area for the past few days,” said the local.
A police source said the armed miscreants came from the valley side and they were trying to identify the miscreants, following which suitable action would be initiated.
More than 160 people have been killed and more than 60,000 displaced in the ethnic violence between the Kuki-Zo and Meitei communities since May 3.
