Overview

• On June 19, Ningthoujam Biren, a 60-year-old Meitei farmer, was wounded in his Phubala paddy field after suspected Kuki militants opened fire from the surrounding hills.
• Security forces launched a search operation in Langchingmanbi and adjoining areas that resulted in crossfire, during which Hoikholhing Haokip, the village chief’s wife, was fatally struck.
• Phubala residents imposed a local bandh and women’s groups issued an ultimatum for the identification of attackers by June 21, while the Indigenous Tribal Leaders’ Forum enforced an indefinite shutdown in Churachandpur.
• The Kuki Women’s Organisation for Human Rights demanded a judicial inquiry and strict buffer-zone enforcement after Haokip’s death, and Meitei civil body COCOMI has called for bolstered security deployments to safeguard farmers.
• More than 260 people have been killed and nearly 60,000 displaced since the conflict began in May 2023, and Manipur remains under President’s rule amid criticism of the government’s security response.