Woman killed in firing near Taphou Kuki in Manipur

A woman was killed and men were injured in firing near Taphou Kuki village in Manipur on Thursday, as police and officials described the incident as an exchange of fire between suspected rival militant groups. The reports differ on the number of injured men and who initiated the shooting; responsibility has not been independently established in the accounts available.

Officials said the firing began at about 11 a.m. in an area between Taphou Kuki, in Kangpokpi district, and Kailengjang, in neighbouring Senapati district. The woman was working in a field when she was struck. Reports identified her by differing names or initials, including Kimneineng Chongloi, Nengboi Chongloi and K. Chongloi, so her confirmed identity remains unclear.

The casualty reports also differ: some said one man was injured, while others reported two. The Committee on Tribal Unity (CoTU), a Kuki organisation, identified the injured as David Chongloi and Lamchon Chongloi and said they had been harvesting paddy with the woman when alleged Naga rebels attacked. Other reporting attributed a different account to preliminary information, alleging that suspected Kuki militants opened fire on Naga cultivators....