Four civilians killed in highway ambush in India's Manipur state

Four civilians were killed in a highway ambush in the northeastern Indian state of Manipur on Friday, November 13. Police said two vehicles carrying civilians came under fire near New Heaven in Ukhrul district, on the NH-202 highway between Imphal and Ukhrul, and all four occupants — two men and two women — died at the scene.

The dead were a mother and son, Kapangkhui RS and Haoleila RS, from Shangshak village, and siblings August Ngalung and Khanmila Keishing from Tashar village. The two vehicles, a Maruti Swift car and a Mahindra Bolero SUV, were travelling towards the state capital, Imphal. Police said bullet marks were visible on the windshields of both vehicles.

Police say suspected militants; no group claims attack

Police said the attackers have not been identified and described them only as suspected militants. EastMojo, citing a police source, reported that suspected Kuki militants carried out the ambush, but police have not officially named any group or given a motive. No arrests have been reported and no group has claimed responsibility. Security forces have launched a manhunt and an investigation is under way.

Manipur Deputy Chief Minister Nemcha Kipgen said she had taken cognisance of the incident and called for a prompt, thorough and impartial investigation. The stretch of road has seen several attacks on passing vehicles this year.

Two shootings in the same area a day earlier

A day before the ambush, two shootings in the same area left one person dead and three injured: a 42-year-old Kuki woman was shot dead while working in a paddy field near the Kangpokpi–Senapati district border, and a farmer was shot and injured near Sinakeithei village in Ukhrul district. The fresh violence has raised communal tensions in the state again.

Manipur has been gripped by violence since clashes between the Meitei and Kuki communities broke out in May 2023, displacing tens of thousands of people, and friction between Kuki and Naga groups has also grown recently. A commission of inquiry set up by India's central government to investigate the bloodshed received another extension this week, with its deadline for submitting findings pushed to May 20, 2027.

Security forces investigate the scene on the NH-202 highway in Manipur's Ukhrul district, with the attacked vehicles at the roadside and broken glass on the ground. (Image: Economic Times)