Three killed in Manipur ambush; protesters bring bodies to CM’s residence

• Three Meitei villagers were killed and three injured when militants attacked a group collecting firewood in Manipur on Monday

• Protesters placed the bodies outside the chief minister’s residence in Imphal, where police used tear gas to disperse the gathering

• Security forces launched a joint search operation, as Congress demanded chief minister Y. Khemchand Singh’s resignation

Militants killed three Meitei villagers and injured three others in an ambush in Manipur on Monday, triggering protests that reached the gates of chief minister Y. Khemchand Singh’s residence and renewed demands for his resignation.

The victims were part of a group of 14 villagers who had gone to collect and transport firewood in the Sunurok hills. Additional director general of police (law and order) Lhari Dorjee Lhatoo said unidentified militants opened fire on the group at about 9.40 am in an area under Sagolmang police station.

An official identified those killed as Arubam Ronil, 35, Lairenlakpam Inaobi, 51, and Kshetrimayum Sushil, 32. Ronil and Inaobi died at the scene, while Sushil later succumbed to his injuries at a private hospital.

The injured — N Suraj, 19, Meisnam Somendro, 53, and K Bosan, 45 — were receiving treatment. According to the official, the group had left their village at around 7 am.

Angry residents brought the bodies to Imphal and placed them outside the main entrance to the chief minister’s residence in Babupara. Police fired tear gas to disperse the protesters, after which the bodies were taken to the Jawaharlal Nehru Institute of Medical Sciences.

It was unclear whether Singh was inside his residence during the demonstration. Security was subsequently reinforced around the bungalow and along its approach roads.

Protests also spread to other parts of the capital. Demonstrators blocked a road at Khurai Lamlong, women gathered at Ema Keithel, and markets and shops across Imphal shut.

Singh visited the injured at a private hospital but did not answer questions from reporters. He later chaired a security review, condemning the civilian killings and directing officials to reinforce protection in vulnerable areas.

Home minister Govindas Konthoujam, senior civil and police officials, and representatives of the Army, Assam Rifles, CRPF, BSF and other security agencies attended the meeting.

An official statement described the attack as having occurred at Nongshum in Imphal East district. It said the review also examined Sunday’s violence in Thoubal district, where clashes between two communities left one person dead and several injured. Houses and vehicles were set on fire, prompting authorities to impose restrictions on movement in two affected areas.

Security forces launched a joint combing operation in the Sunurok hills, involving police, CRPF, CoBRA, Assam Rifles and BSF personnel. Lhatoo said drones, sniffer dogs and a surveillance helicopter were supporting the search, with mobile checkpoints also established.

He appealed for restraint and assured residents that action would be taken against those responsible.

At a separate meeting chaired by Singh, NDA legislators condemned the killings and called for the attackers to be apprehended immediately, the chief minister said in a social media post.

The attack intensified criticism of the government’s handling of security. Congress Legislature Party leader Keisham Meghachandra demanded Singh’s resignation, saying he should accept moral responsibility for the worsening situation.

Meghachandra said the government had failed to restore peace and that every community was entitled to protection.

Former chief minister N. Biren Singh, who also visited the injured, questioned assurances that normalcy had returned.

“As a Manipuri and as a Meitei, we cannot keep counting the dead,” he told reporters, adding that repeated killings had left people feeling “orphaned”.

Biren Singh called on like-minded people to work together to protect indigenous communities and expressed frustration at the recurring need to issue condemnations.

Manipur has endured ethnic violence between the predominantly valley-based Meitei and hill-based Kuki communities since May 2023. At least 306 people have been killed and several remain missing. Separate clashes between Kukis and Nagas have claimed around 50 lives since February this year.

The latest attack comes ahead of assembly elections due in 2027, with civilian safety and the government’s ability to restore peace facing renewed scrutiny.

With IANS inputs