A chilling video showing a man from the Meitei community pleading with folded hands before being shot dead by unidentified people reportedly in Manipur’s Kuki-Zo-majority Churachandpur district on Wednesday evening has surfaced at a time when the state is set to mark one year of President’s Rule on February 14, amid renewed political discussions on the restoration of a popular government.
The killing, which was captured on a 1 minute 12 second video that began circulating late Wednesday night, shows the man seated outdoors in the dark while appealing to unseen individuals, after which two gunshots are fired and he is later seen lying motionless, with the video carrying the text “No peace no popular government,” a phrase linked to ongoing debates over political normalcy in the state, according to The Indian Express.
Police identified the deceased as Mayanglambam, a resident of Kakching Khunou in Manipur’s Meitei-majority valley, who had been living for the past month in Nathjang village of Churachandpur district with his wife, Chingnu Haokip, who belongs to the Kuki-Zo community, while the village itself lies around a 30-minute drive from Churachandpur town.
Churachandpur Superintendent of Police Gaurav Dogra confirmed that the incident took place between 7 and 7.30 pm and said that armed miscreants had arrived at the village and carried out the killing, even as he noted that the man ordinarily worked and lived in Nepal and had only recently been staying in the area with the knowledge of local residents and village authorities.
The killing has occurred during a phase of relative calm in the violence-hit state, nearly a year after President’s Rule was imposed, and at a moment when discussions on forming a popular government have gathered momentum.
Last week, a meeting involving Kuki-Zo insurgent groups under Suspension of Operation agreements, community MLAs and the Kuki-Zo Council passed a resolution outlining conditions for government formation, including a written political commitment for a separate Union Territory for Kuki-Zo-majority areas and a final settlement before the Assembly’s term ends in 2027, adding further political weight to the timing of the incident.