BRIC Team reports: Suspected armed extremists ambushed a team of tribal church leaders in Kangpokpi district of Manipur on Wednesday morning (May 13, 2026), killing three of them and injuring four.The victims, members of the Thadou Baptist Association of India (TBAI) and the United Baptist Council (UBC), were travelling in two vehicles from a Baptist convention in Churachandpur to Kangpokpi when they were attacked. The incident occurred on the hilly Tiger Road between Kotlen and Kotzim villages around 10 a.m.One of the survivors told security personnel that the assailants came on foot and slipped away after firing a volley of bullets for three or four minutes from the hillside of the underprepared road that connects the Kuki-dominated Churachandpur and Kangpokpi districts, bypassing the non-tribal Meitei-majority Imphal Valley.
Kukis have been avoiding the much shorter highway through this valley since the ethnic violence between the Meitei and Kuki-Zo communities erupted on May 3, 2023.Those who lost their lives were TBAI president Reverend Vumthang Sitlhou, TBAI finance secretary Rev. Kaigoulun Lhouvum, and Pastor Paogoulen Sitlhou. The TBAI president had recently led a delegation of Kuki Christian leaders to the adjoining Nagaland to broker peace between the Kukis and Tangkhul Nagas in the restive Kamjong and Ukhrul districts of Manipur.While three of the four injured were rushed to a private hospital in Imphal for treatment, a fifth survivor, who managed to escape, was later tracked and rescued from the hills, an official told The Hindu.“Some 8-10 armed men are suspected to have opened fire on two vehicles with automatic weapons, most likely AK-47 rifles.
Background
They were likely hiding in the hills,” the official said.According to a statement issued by the Indian Army, joint columns of security forces assisted in evacuating the injured to the nearest medical facility. “The joint columns are undertaking extensive search and area domination operations,” an official monitoring Manipur said.Several Thadou (a section claims it is a distinct community and not a constituent of the Kuki group of tribes), Kuki, and Zomi organisations have announced a “total shutdown” in Kangpokpi, Churachandpur, and other districts to protest the killings. The shutdown is for three days.
Key facts
- Kaigoulun Lhouvum, and Pastor Paogoulen Sitlhou.
- He said the government would bear their medical expenses.He said such attacks, undermining the collective effort of the people to restore normalcy in Manipur, were unacceptable.
- Sangma and Lalduhoma also condemned the killing of the Kuki church leaders.
What this means
Six militants arrested in ManipurString of condemnationsCondemning the incident, Manipur Chief Minister Yumnam Khemchand Singh said he visited the injured at the hospital along with Deputy Chief Minister Losii Dikho, Home Minister Govindas Konthoujam, and other MLAs to ensure the injured get the highest standard of care. He said the government would bear their medical expenses.He said such attacks, undermining the collective effort of the people to restore normalcy in Manipur, were unacceptable. “I urge people to immediately stop abductions, taking hostages, and intimidation on community lines,” he said, assuring the people that the government would use every resource to bring the perpetrators and their handlers to justice.A statement issued by the Senapati district unit of the United Naga Council said about 20 Nagas of Konsakhul village were held hostage by people from Leilon Vaiphei village soon after the ambush.In the same district dominated by the Nagas, the chairman of a Kuki village urged the Senapati police to release 23 Kuki labourers “detained” by locals.
Manipur Naga bodies seek PM’s ‘personal’ intervention against armed Kuki groups aiding external aggressionNagaland’s Chief Minister Neiphiu Rio, his Meghalaya and Mizoram counterparts Conrad K. Sangma and Lalduhoma also condemned the killing of the Kuki church leaders. “I urge the authorities in Manipur to take immediate and strict action against those responsible,” Mr.
