Four civilians, including two women, were shot dead when suspected armed militants opened fire on two vehicles in Manipur’s Ukhrul district. The attack along the Imphal-Ukhrul road has heightened fears of further violence in the state’s hill districts.
By PC Bureau
November 13: Four Tangkhul Naga civilians, including two women, were killed after suspected Kuki militants ambushed two vehicles along National Highway 102 in Manipur’s Ukhrul district on Friday, triggering fresh tension between Naga and Kuki communities in the region.
The attack reportedly took place around noon near New Heaven, close to Shokvao village, opposite Yaolen Chepu, a Kuki-inhabited village in the area.
According to preliminary accounts, armed assailants opened fire on two four-wheelers carrying the victims. All four occupants — two men and two women — died at the scene. Bullet marks were visible on the windshields of both vehicles.
The victims were identified as Kapangkhui Raihing and her son Haoleila Raihing, residents of Shangshak village, and siblings August Ngalung and Khanmila Ngalung f
The attackers were suspected to be Kuki militants, although their identities and organisational affiliations had not been independently established. Police had yet to provide a detailed account of the circumstances surrounding the ambush. However, given the background of Kuki-Naga conflict, the needle of suspicion naturally turns to Kuki militants.
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Fresh escalation in Kuki-Naga tensions
The killings threaten to deepen the already volatile relationship between the Kuki and Naga communities in Manipur’s hill districts.
The attack came a day after a 42-year-old Kuki woman was shot dead near Taphou Kuki village along the Kangpokpi-Senapati district border. Two other Kuki men were also injured in that incident.
A separate shooting near Sinakeithei village in Ukhrul district on November 12 left a Tangkhul Naga farmer injured. Suspected armed Kuki militants were accused of opening fire on farmers working in paddy fields.
The two incidents had already heightened tensions between the communities. Friday’s killing of four Tangkhul Naga civilians has further aggravated concerns about retaliatory violence.
Normalizing killings of civilians.#Manipur #Ambush #Kuki #Nagar #Disarmed #IllegalArms
MANIPUR VIOLENCE CONTINUES
Four killed as suspected militants fire at two cars in Manipur’s Ukhrul Four people, including two women, were killed as suspected Kuki militants fired at two vehicles in Manipur’s Ukhrul district.— huidrom athouba (@HuidromAthouba) November 13, 2026
Civilian safety under threat
The latest ambush highlights the growing insecurity faced by civilians travelling through Manipur’s conflict-affected hill districts.
National Highway 102 is an important road link in the region, and attacks on passenger vehicles raise serious concerns about the safety of ordinary commuters.
The killings also come amid a wider deterioration in security across Manipur, where the ethnic conflict between Meiteis and Kukis, which erupted in May 2023, has claimed hundreds of lives and displaced thousands.
At least 50 people have reportedly been killed in clashes involving Kuki and Naga groups in the hill districts since February 2026.
The latest attack has added to fears that the confrontation could widen further, with ordinary civilians increasingly caught in the crossfire.
