IMPHAL, India: Ethnic violence has continued in India’s northeastern Manipur state as two more Kuki-Zo community women shot dead on Tuesday, just two days after four civilians from the community were killed in separate attacks.
The latest killings took place at about 3:00 pm in Leisangphai, a remote Kuki-Zo settlement near Muktokhal in Tamenglong district, according to local police.
The victims were identified as Phalneichong alias Chonga Sitlhou and Kimjalhing alias Kimneo Singson. Local sources, cited by The Indian Express, said Sitlhou was collecting firewood when she was shot, while Singson had recently returned home after completing a nursing course to help her parents with farming.
Several temporary farmhouses were also set on fire and some villagers could not immediately be traced after the attack, officials said.
The latest violence has renewed criticism of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) led state and central governments over their failure to prevent repeated attacks on civilians in conflict-hit areas.
The killings came two days after four Kuki-Zo civilians, including two women, were killed in separate attacks at Tollen and Longpi villages in Tamenglong and neighbouring Noney district.
At Tollen, a couple, Lhingzangai Singsit and her husband Seineh Singsit, were shot. Lhingzangai died at the scene, while Seineh later succumbed to his injuries in hospital. Their six-year-old son was also wounded.
In Longpi, Julie Gangte and Thangvel Roel Gangte were killed after gunmen reportedly ambushed people transporting essential supplies. Another woman was reported missing.
Kuki-Zo organisations have accused Naga insurgent groups, including the National Socialist Council of Nagalim (Isak-Muivah), or NSCN-IM, and the Zeliangrong United Front, or ZUF, of involvement.
The Kuki-Zo Council condemned the killings and said the repeated targeting of civilians represented an “alarming pattern”. It called on the Manipur and federal governments to protect vulnerable communities, investigate the attacks and bring those responsible to justice.
Questions over BJP govt’s response to Manipur violence
The latest killings have put renewed focus on the ability of the Bharatiya Janata Party-led state government to protect civilians and contain ethnic violence.
Chief Minister Yumnam Khemchand Singh took office on February 4 after a year of federal rule that followed the resignation of N. Biren Singh. The formation of the new government was followed by a new phase of violence involving Kuki-Zo and Naga communities.
Manipur Home Minister Govindas Konthoujam said on September 14, a day after the previous attacks, that no act of violence would be allowed to derail the state’s path towards peace and normalcy.
But the fresh killings two days later have prompted further criticism from Kuki-Zo organisations. Thadou Inpi Manipur said the attacks exposed the authorities’ failure to protect civilians.
Modi faces renewed scrutiny
Prime Minister Narendra Modi has also faced criticism from the public and civil society groups over his handling of the Manipur crisis.
Modi visited Manipur in September 2025, his first visit to the state since the ethnic violence began in May 2023. However, Modi’s silence over continued violence has fuelled public criticism.
The latest violence is part of a broader conflict that has killed hundreds of people and displaced tens of thousands since May 2023.
The conflict initially centred largely on clashes between the predominantly Hindu Meitei community and the predominantly Christian Kuki-Zo tribal community. More recently, violence between Kuki-Zo and Naga communities has added another layer to the state’s security crisis.
The first major incident in the latest Kuki-Zo-Naga confrontation occurred in Litan Sareikhong in Ukhrul district shortly after the new state government took office in February.
