Meitei man shot dead on camera while visiting Kuki wife in Manipur

A Meitei man was shot dead in Manipur’s violence-hit Churachandpur district, with the killing recorded on camera and later circulated, triggering fresh outrage amid ongoing ethnic tensions. The victim, identified as Mayanglambam Rishikanta Singh, was visiting his Kuki wife when the incident occurred.

Singh, a resident of Kakching Khunou in the Imphal valley, had been working in Nepal and returned home on leave. He travelled to Churachandpur to meet his wife, C Haokip, despite movement between Meitei- and Kuki-dominated areas remaining severely restricted since ethnic violence erupted in May 2023.

According to officials, unidentified assailants abducted Singh and later shot him at point-blank range. The video shows him kneeling with folded hands, pleading for his life moments before he was killed. The clip carried a text message reading “no peace, no popular government.”

The body was recovered from a village in Churachandpur and taken to a local hospital during the night. Police have launched an investigation, while multiple armed groups have denied involvement in the killing. Authorities are examining the circumstances under which the victim was taken and executed.

The incident comes at a sensitive time, with Manipur nearing one year under President’s Rule and political activity underway. Security agencies fear the killing was intended to inflame ethnic tensions and provoke further violence in the already-fragile region.