Correspondent
IMPHAL, SEP 21 (NPN): A 17 year old boy was killed on Monday after being ambushed by suspected militants, as violence resurfaced in Manipur’s hill districts following a brief lull.
The slain minor was identified as Nk Wiphenbou, son of Nk Maihinlakbou of Takou, a Liangmei Naga village under Tamei police station in Tamenglong district.
Reports said the boy was ambushed while walking alone on the inter village road to buy essential goods for his family from Tamei Bazar.
Villagers later discovered his bullet riddled body lying in a pool of blood on the roadside between Takou and Tamah (Malek) village after hearing gunfire around 10:30 a.m.
With Monday’s killing, at least eight lives — including five women — have been lost in recent attacks and counter attacks in Naga dominated hill districts of Tamenglong and Noney. On September 15, suspected militants shot dead two women and set ablaze several farmhouses at Muktakhal (Leisangphai), a Kuki inhabited village in Tamenglong. Earlier, on September 13, four persons, including two women, were killed in separate attacks at Tollen village in Tamenglong and Longpi village in Noney.
The toll rose to five after a 21 year old girl injured in the Longpi attack succumbed on September 20 at Churachandpur district hospital after a week in the ICU.
The Working Committee of Joint Tribes Council Manipur (WC JTCM) strongly condemned the killing, alleging that the boy was “murdered in cold blood” while returning to school. Terming the incident a “barbaric act of terrorism,” the tribal body accused Kuki militant factions — KRA, KNF (P), KNF (N) and allied groups led by Jangboi Kipgen, home secretary of UPF/KNF — of carrying out the ambush.
It demanded immediate government action against SoO violating groups, calling for the end of the agreement if it only provides impunity.
The WC JTCM urged authorities to swiftly identify and apprehend the perpetrators, and to deploy security forces to protect Naga villages and vulnerable settlements.
Naga People’s Front (NPF) MLA Awangbou Newmai condemned the killing, describing it as “cowardly” and “heinous acts of terrorism that target innocent civilians and threaten peace.” He extended condolences to the bereaved family.
Former chief minister and BJP MLA N. Biren Singh also denounced the incident, stating: “Manipur cannot continue to lose innocent lives to this endless cycle of violence. Every such death leaves another family shattered and pushes our society further away from peace.”
He urged authorities to act decisively, establish accountability, and bring those responsible to justice without delay.