Bodies of the four men, belonging to the Tangkhul Naga community who were allegedly killed by militants, were found in Manipur’s Kamjong district.The bodies of the four men, identified as Vareishim Jajo, Phami Jajo, Betterson Jajo and Ningthem Kashak, were found at an isolated spot near the Myanmar border in remote Pilong village around 1.30 am on Friday, police said. The bodies bore multiple bullet marks and were found after a prolonged search by police and locals, reported PTI.Police said the bodies were being brought to Kamjong district hospital for post-mortem examinations. Pilong village is around 34 km from the district headquarters.Locals alleged that militants from neighbouring Myanmar crossed into India and ambushed a group of five villagers on Thursday, before the bodies were found. One of the villagers managed to escape and alerted local authorities. However, the search for bodies continued till early Friday.“Villagers claimed that four persons were killed when militants from neighbouring Myanmar crossed the border and attacked five people. One of them managed to escape and reported the incident to the villagers and the local authorities. The killing has not been confirmed. A police team has been dispatched to ascertain the claim,” the officer had said.Naga Peoples’ Front state president Awangbou Newmai condemned the killings and alleged that members of the Kuki National Army (Burma) were behind the attack. He appealed to all communities to “shun violence” and “co-exist as peaceful neighbours”.The killings come amid a fresh escalation in Kuki-Naga violence in Manipur that has spread across parts of Ukhrul, Kamjong, Kangpokpi, Tamenglong and Noney districts since February. What began with clashes between Tangkhul Naga and Kuki communities in Ukhrul in February has developed into a wider cycle of ambushes, attacks on villages and civilian killings.In recent weeks, attacks have been reported on both communities. Four Kuki villagers were killed in separate attacks in Tamenglong and Noney on September 13, followed by attacks on Naga settlements and the killing of a Naga teenager in subsequent days.
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A 36-year-old Kuki electric lineman was also killed in an attack on Kuki settlements along the IT Road corridor in Kangpokpi on September 23, while Naga villages along the Noney-Kangpokpi-Senapati borders came under attack the same day.The latest violence has occurred despite a heavy security presence in the state, with the Army, Assam Rifles, CRPF, BSF, ITBP and SSB deployed in affected areas. The violence has also increasingly involved allegations of attacks by armed groups operating along the Kuki-Naga fault line, although responsibility for individual attacks is often disputed or remains under investigation.
