Death of injured victim raises Manipur militant attack toll to three

The death of a 49-year-old man in hospital has raised to three the number of people killed in a suspected militant attack in Manipur’s Senapati district, officials said. The man, identified as Ashiho Sani, had been injured in the shooting on Saturday and died at a private hospital at about 3 a.m. on Sunday.

His body was taken to Senapati district hospital for a post-mortem examination. Suspected militants had shot dead two Naga civilians and injured two others in the district on Saturday, according to the supplied material. The other injured person was identified as Adani Manio, 33, and was receiving treatment at the private hospital.

Former Manipur Chief Minister N. Biren Singh condemned the killings in a post on X. He identified two of the dead as Rocky from Chaowainamai village and Kumar from Laii Shirafii village, and said armed militants had entered their homes and shot them while they slept.

Singh described the victims as civilians who should have been able to live without fear. He also asked how long people would continue counting bodies instead of holding those responsible accountable and bringing the law-and-order situation under control. The attack occurred shortly before the United Naga Council announced the suspension of its four-month economic blockade on the state’s national highways, the material said.

The report also referred to a separate attack on September 24, when four Tangkhul Naga civilians were shot dead at Pilong village in Kamjong district near the international border, allegedly by suspected militants from Myanmar. At least 13 people have been killed in separate gun attacks allegedly carried out by suspected militants during September in Tamenglong, Kangpokpi, Noney and Kamjong districts, according to the supplied report.