Four people, including a 60-year-old woman, were brutally gunned down by unidentified assailants in Manipur’s violence-scarred Churachandpur district on Monday, marking a grim escalation in the region’s ongoing ethnic unrest.
The ambush occurred around 2 p.m. near Mongjang village, approximately 7 km from Churachandpur town, when the victims were travelling in a car.
Police sources said the attackers opened fire at point-blank range, killing all occupants of the vehicle on the spot. More than a dozen empty bullet shells were recovered from the scene, suggesting a coordinated and deliberate attack. The identities of the victims have not yet been officially confirmed.
The attack comes amid heightened tensions between the Kuki-Zo and Meitei communities, which have plunged Manipur into turmoil since May 2023.
Over 200 people have died and thousands displaced in the ethnic conflict that has left deep scars across the Imphal Valley and surrounding hill districts like Churachandpur, a Kuki-majority stronghold.
Despite repeated peace appeals from the Centre and deployment of central forces, targeted killings and ambushes continue to erupt in buffer zones between the warring communities.
Monday’s incident adds to a spate of recent attacks that underscore the fragile security situation and the lack of reconciliation on the ground. No group has claimed responsibility for the latest assault. Police and paramilitary reinforcements have been rushed to the site, and a search operation is underway to trace the perpetrators.