Manipur Chief Minister Yumnam Khemchand Singh ordered stronger security in vulnerable areas Oct. 19 after gunmen killed three villagers collecting firewood, prompting a protest outside his residence in Imphal.
Additional Director General of Police Lhari Dorjee Lhatoo said the attack at Sunulok Hill in Imphal East district wounded three others. The victims were among 14 villagers cutting and transporting firewood, he said. Police have not identified the attackers.
India Today NE reported that residents left two victims’ bodies outside the gate of Singh’s bungalow and that police later took them to the Jawaharlal Nehru Institute of Medical Sciences. India Today gave a different count, reporting three bodies outside the chief minister’s office.
The fourth death occurred in a separate incident in Thoubal district. Lhatoo said a person shot during unrest at an Oct. 18 musical event died early Oct. 19.
Singh said he chaired a security meeting on both incidents and directed officials to strengthen protection in vulnerable areas. Manipur has faced ethnic violence between Meitei and Kuki communities since May 2023. Police are investigating the Sunulok Hill attack.
