Kathmandu, June 20 – A Kuki woman was killed during a gunfight between security forces and unidentified armed assailants in the border area of Phubala in Manipur, India, authorities confirmed.
The victim has been identified as Huikholhing Haokip, the wife of the village chief of Langchingmanbi. According to the Indigenous Tribal Leaders’ Forum (ITLF), the incident was a “brutal and targeted killing,” sparking widespread outrage among the Kuki community.
The violence erupted after an earlier incident in which a Meitei farmer, Ningthoujam Biren Singh, was shot in the left arm while working in his fields near Phubala Awang Maning Laikai. He is currently receiving treatment at RIMS Hospital in Imphal.
Following the shooting of the farmer, security forces launched a combing operation across the western regions of Langchingmanbi, Heichanglok, and Phubala villages. During the operation, unknown assailants opened fire on the security personnel, prompting a gunbattle.
During the exchange, Huikholhing Haokip was fatally shot. Authorities stated that search and arrest operations are ongoing in collaboration with multiple security teams.
The ITLF and other Kuki civil society groups have called for a shutdown in protest of the killing.
The Phubala area lies on the border of the Imphal valley and the hills of Churachandpur district, a region already plagued by months of ethnic tension between the Meitei and Kuki communities.
