Imphal: Two villagers, including an eight-year-old girl, were injured after unknown armed miscreants, suspected to be from the Naga community, opened fire on Thingkhongjang village in Kangpokpi district on Sunday afternoon, police said.Police said two to three houses were also set ablaze in the incident.The injured were identified as Lamneingah Kipgen (8) and Nengneichong Kipgen (56). They were evacuated to 9 Sector Assam Rifles at Keithelmambi in Imphal West for treatment, and later shifted to a hospital in Imphal, sources said.The Kuki Inpi Manipur (KIM) condemned the incident annd alleged in a statement, “the attack was perpetrated by armed cadres of the NSCN-Muivah and its proxy faction, ZUF-Kamson.”It said the targeting of an unarmed civilian settlement is nothing less than an act of terror against innocent people and represents a grave assault on human dignity and the rule of law.“This incident raises deeply disturbing questions regarding the conduct and effectiveness of the security forces deployed in the area. The attack occurred despite the presence of the 86th Battalion, F Coy stationed in the vicinity. It is beyond comprehension that heavily armed militants could infiltrate the area, unleash violence upon civilians, torch homes, injure women and children, and withdraw without decisive intervention. Such a monumental security failure cannot be dismissed as a routine lapse. It warrants the highest level of scrutiny and accountability,” KIM said.It demanded immediate accountability from officers whose alleged negligence or failure of command contributed to this incident, pending the completion of an independent judicial inquiry.It said continued failure to protect innocent civilians undermines public confidence in the state institutions. “Those entrusted with the constitutional duty to protect the lives and properties of citizens must either fulfil that responsibility or be held fully accountable before the law and before the people,” it added.
