Manipur: Kuki woman killed in crossfire, restrictions imposed near Chassad police gate junction

A Kuki woman died after being hit by bullets during an exchange of fire between armed groups and security forces in Manipur’s Kamjong district on Friday night, police said.

Locals identified the deceased as Domkhonei Touthang.

Police said that after receiving information about the construction of illegal bunkers near Chassad police station, teams of civil police, the Indian Reserve Battalion (IRB) and the Border Security Force (BSF) launched a drive to demolish the illegal bunkers.

During the operation, women from the area tried to disrupt the drive. Meanwhile, unidentified people reportedly opened fire at security forces, who retaliated. The woman sustained two bullet injuries to her upper left chest, near the neck, officers said.

The woman died on the spot. Later, tension escalated and unidentified people set ablaze some houses, followed by gunfire between armed groups and security forces. The exchange of gunfire continued till late at night.

The number of houses set ablaze is yet to be verified. On Saturday, gunfire resumed at around 5am and continued until 7am.

Locals said the incident occurred at around 9:30pm on Friday during a protest against the alleged arbitrary arrest and detention of Chassad Village Volunteers. The deceased was a mother of five children—three boys and two girls, locals said.

Meanwhile, the district magistrate of Kamjong district has imposed restrictions on gatherings within a 400-metre radius of Chassad police gate junction in the scheduled area. The restrictions were issued under Section 163 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS), 2023.