Guwahati: A 17-year-old boy from the Naga community was killed in an alleged ambush by suspected Kuki militants in Manipur’s Tamenglong district on Monday morning, police said, as tensions between the two communities escalated.The victim, identified as NK Wiphenbou, was reportedly travelling alone from Upper Takou village to Tamei town to buy essential commodities when he came under attack at around 10.30am. Naga village volunteers later reportedly found his body along a narrow pathway.“Based on the spot examination, he is suspected to have been ambushed. From the public enquiries and statements gathered so far, suspected Kuki militants carried out the ambush,” a senior police officer told TOI, ruling out the possibility that the boy had been caught in crossfire.Different versions have emerged about the circumstances leading to his death. However, according to police sources, there was no exchange of fire when the boy was killed.Awangbow Newmai, MLA from Tamei assembly constituency, said Wiphenbou, a resident of Upper Takou village under Tamei subdivision in Tamenglong district, was ambushed and killed.In a social media post, Newmai alleged that the ambush was carried out by Kuki militants between Upper Takou and Tamah (Malek) while the boy was travelling towards Tamei to buy essential commodities for his family.“I unequivocally condemn the cowardly and heinous acts of terrorism that target innocent civilians and threaten peace and security. Such barbaric violence has no justification and no place in a civilised society,” Newmai wrote in a note of condemnation.Former Manipur CM N Biren Singh urged the authorities to act decisively, establish accountability and bring those responsible to justice without delay.“Today, it is 17-year-old NK Wiphenbou. Who will be next?” Biren wrote in a social media post.“The killing of this young student from Upper Takou village, while he was travelling to buy essential commodities, is deeply painful. Manipur cannot continue to lose innocent lives to this endless cycle of violence,” he said.The latest incident marks a widening of the conflict beyond the Kuki-Meitei confrontation that has dominated Manipur since ethnic clashes erupted in May 2023. Over the past 10 days, five Kuki villagers have been killed in separate incidents allegedly involving suspected Naga militants, fuelling fresh tensions across the state’s hill districts.Several houses have also been torched in Naga and Kuki-inhabited areas, with Kangpokpi, Tamenglong and Noney among the worst-hit districts.Meanwhile, a 24-hour bandh called in Manipur on Monday to oppose the 1949 Manipur Merger Agreement received a mixed response across the state. The bandh, called by the proscribed outfit National Revolutionary Front Manipur (NRFM) from midnight on Sunday, disrupted normal life in the Valley districts.Markets, businesses and educational institutions remained closed in parts of the Valley. Imphal saw thin vehicular movement amid heavy deployment of police and security forces. Inter-state transport services were also disrupted, while emergency and healthcare services were exempted.Two days earlier, an active NRFM cadre, Namoijam Boboi Mangang, 39, was arrested at Gate 1 of Regional Institute of Medical Sciences (RIMS), Lamphel, under Lamphel police station in Imphal West district.
