A Kuki-Zo man was killed and four others were injured when five villagers repairing damaged power lines were ambushed in Chassad village in Manipur’s Kamjong district on Saturday afternoon, according to a report by The Times of India. The incident has intensified demands for central-force deployment in the state’s hill districts.
The deceased was identified as Seikhohao Haokip, 35, a member of the Chassad village authority. He succumbed to his injuries at an Assam Rifles hospital, where the other four injured people were taken for treatment.
Those receiving medical care include Chassad village chief Thangjahao Haokip, Phungtha village chief Seipao Haokip, Chassad village authority secretary Thanggin Thouthang and village authority member St. Khailun Haokip. The group had reportedly left the village to repair damaged electricity supply lines when the attack took place.
The Committee on Tribal Unity, based in Sadar Hills in Kangpokpi district, alleged that the ambush was carried out by armed Tangkhul militants. The organisation described the victims as members of the Kuki-Zo community and called for central forces to protect what it termed minority villages.
The committee also urged elected legislators from Ukhrul, Kamjong, Noney and Tamei to act against armed groups that it identified as NSCN-IM and the Myanmar-based Naga Eastern Flank. These allegations were made by the organisation in a statement issued on Saturday and were not independently established in the supplied report.
The attack occurred in a region where electricity restoration itself requires residents to travel through an area affected by continuing inter-community violence. The reported circumstances show how damage to basic infrastructure can expose local officials and villagers to security risks while they attempt to restore essential services.
The latest incident also adds to a series of reported killings in Manipur’s hill districts. The Times of India reported that 11 people had been killed in Kamjong, Kangpokpi and Ukhrul districts during the preceding eight days, including four Kuki-Zos, six Nagas and one Gorkha. At Chassad, two people, including a woman, had reportedly been killed during the previous week.
Kamjong and Ukhrul are neighbouring hill districts in eastern Manipur along the India-Myanmar border. Kamjong was carved out of Ukhrul in 2016, and both districts have Tangkhul Naga-majority populations. Kangpokpi, located to the north, has a Kuki-Zo majority.
The Committee on Tribal Unity warned that continued attacks could further damage relations between the communities and said it would consider retaliation if protection was not provided. The group’s immediate demand was the deployment of central forces to secure vulnerable villages and enable essential services, including power-line repairs, to resume safely.
