Manipur: Suspected Militants Open Fire On Two Vehicles In Ukhrul, 4 Killed

Imphal: Four people, including two women, were killed after suspected militants opened fire on two vehicles in Manipur’s Ukhrul district on Friday, November 13, police said.

The attack took place in the New Heaven area along the Imphal-Ukhrul road, also known as National Highway 202, when armed assailants targeted two four-wheelers, a senior police officer said.

All four occupants two men and two women travelling in the vehicles died on the spot. Bullet marks were subsequently found on the windshields of both vehicles, the officer added.

Attack Comes Amid Fresh Violence In Manipur

The incident comes a day after a 42-year-old Kuki woman was shot dead, while two men sustained injuries during a gunfight between rival groups near Taphou Kuki village in Kangpokpi district and Kailengjang in neighbouring Senapati district.

The latest attack also comes amid continuing ethnic tensions and intermittent violence in Manipur’s hill districts.

Manipur Ethnic Conflict Claims Over 300 Lives

The ethnic conflict between the valley-based Meitei and hill-based Kuki communities, which erupted in May 2023, has claimed at least 306 lives. Another 49 people remain missing, while thousands have been displaced.

Separately, at least 50 people have been killed in clashes between Kuki and Naga communities in the hill districts since February this year.

The Imphal-Ukhrul highway has also witnessed several incidents of firing and attacks on vehicles this year, including non-fatal shootings in early November and fatal ambushes in April and May.

Further details about the perpetrators, motive behind Friday’s attack and the security response were not immediately available.

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