Meitei man shot dead in Manipur's Churachandpur amid fresh rise in tensions

A man belonging to the Meitei community was shot dead after being abducted by suspected Kuki militants in Churachandpur district, in a fresh escalation of the tensions in restive Manipur.

Mayanglambam Rishikanta Singh was abducted from his home in the Tuibong area on Wednesday and shot dead in the vicinity of Natjang village, police said.

The kidnappers are suspected to be members of the United Kuki National Army (UNKA), a non-signatory to the Suspension of Operations (SoO) agreement.

The SoO agreement was signed between the Centre, the Manipur government and dozens of Kuki-Zo militant groups.

Singh, who hailed from Kakching Khunou in Kakching district, was married to Chingnu Haokip of Churachandpur and assumed a tribal name, Ginminthang. He returned to Churachandpur from Nepal on January 19, according to local sources.

He was allowed to stay with his wife, a Kuki, by some local groups, they said.

Kukis and Meiteis do not venture into each other's areas after the violence broke out in May 2023, leaving the state deeply divided on ethnic lines. Over 260 people have been killed and thousands rendered homeless in the hostilities.

The militants abducted both the man and his wife, and took them towards Natjang in the Henglep police station area, where he was suspected to be shot dead, police said.

The wife was later set free, they said.

A purported video clip of the chilling incident went viral on social media, showing Singh begging for his life with folded hands before he was shot by the armed men.

Police said they recovered the body from the Natjang village after receiving a call. It was brought to the morgue of the district hospital around 1.30 am.

A suo motu case was registered, and efforts are underway to nab those involved, they said.