Manipur: 21-yr-old woman dies of gunshot injuries days after village attack

• Nei Esther Gangte, 21, died at a Churachandpur hospital on Sunday, seven days after sustaining gunshot injuries in the 13 September attack at Longpi village.

• The attack was one of two that day in Noney and Tamenglong districts in which four people were killed; several others were injured.

• Her death has drawn fresh demands for accountability, while authorities face continuing concerns over civilian security amid renewed violence in Manipur.

A 21-year-old woman who sustained gunshot injuries during an attack by armed miscreants in Manipur last week died at a hospital in Churachandpur on Sunday, 20 September, officials said.

Nei Esther Gangte succumbed to her injuries at District Hospital Churachandpur after battling for seven days, according to officials. She had been injured in an attack at Longpi village in Noney district on 13 September.

The Longpi attack was one of two separate incidents reported that day in Noney and neighbouring Tamenglong district. In Longpi, two people — a woman and a man — were killed after unidentified armed attackers opened fire. Another person was reported missing after the incident.

In a separate attack at L. Tollen village in Tamenglong district, a woman was killed and her husband later succumbed to his injuries. Their six-year-old son was also injured. The four deaths were reported from the two incidents.

According to reports, the Longpi victims had gone out to obtain rice and other essential household supplies when they came under attack. The identity of those responsible has not been officially established. Some local groups have made allegations about the involvement of armed organisations, but these claims have not been independently established.

Gangte was later found with gunshot injuries and taken for medical treatment. Her condition remained critical until her death on Sunday.

The Kuki Human Rights Council condemned Gangte’s death and demanded the immediate arrest of those responsible.

The killings came amid continuing concerns over civilian security in Manipur, where ethnic violence that erupted in May 2023 has displaced large numbers of people and continued to produce sporadic attacks despite repeated calls for peace.

The 13 September attacks also took place on a day observed by the Kuki community as ‘Black Day’, commemorating those killed and displaced during the Kuki-Naga conflict of the 1990s. The coincidence added to tensions surrounding the attacks.

Fresh violence has continued in the state in recent days. Two more Kuki-Zo women were shot dead in a remote settlement in Tamenglong district on 15 September, while farmhouses were also reportedly set on fire.

The Supreme Court has also recently sought a detailed report from the Manipur government on 25 ‘unnatural deaths’ among internally displaced people living in relief camps, underlining continuing concerns over the safety and conditions of people affected by the conflict.

Chief minister Y. Khemchand Singh had earlier condemned the killing of the two people at Longpi. "Such cowardly acts of violence against innocent civilians are unacceptable and have no place in our society," he had said.

With PTI inputs