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Meitei Man Shot Dead in Manipur: Latest Violence in Ongoing Ethnic Conflict
A 28-year-old Meitei man, Mayanglambam Rishikanta Singh, was shot dead on January 21, 2026, in Churachandpur district while visiting his Kuki wife. The killing, recorded on video, represents a major escalation after months of relative calm in Manipur's ethnic conflict between Meitei and Kuki-Zo communities. Suspected militants from the United Kuki National Army are believed responsible.
Why It Matters
The incident breaks a lull in violence and threatens to reignite communal tensions in a conflict that has killed over 258 people since May 2023, displaced 60,000 people, and destroyed thousands of homes and religious structures.
Timeline
3 Events
Meitei man shot dead while visiting Kuki wife
January 21, 2026
Mayanglambam Rishikanta Singh, 28, was abducted along with his wife and shot point-blank by suspected United Kuki National Army militants while pleading for his life. The incident was recorded on video and widely circulated on social media. His wife was released unharmed.
CRPF firing kills 10 Kuki-Zo village volunteers in Jiribam
November 11, 2024
CRPF personnel opened fire from a bulletproof vehicle with a light machine gun, killing 10 Kuki-Zo village volunteers described as militants who allegedly attacked a local police station and CRPF camp. The volunteers were civilian guards formed to protect Kuki-Zo areas.
Ethnic violence erupts between Meitei and Kuki-Zo communities
May 3, 2023
Violence began after tribal communities protested a Manipur High Court order granting the majority Meitei community land ownership in protected areas and quotas in government jobs and college admissions.