UKHRUL: The Meitei Heritage Society (MHS) has expressed shock and outrage over the abduction and killing of a Meitei civilian, Rishikanta Mayanglambam, allegedly by Chin-Kuki militants in Manipur’s Churachandpur district. A disturbing video purportedly linked to the incident has been circulating widely on social media.
According to the MHS, Rishikanta was abducted on January 21, 2026, at around 6:30 pm from Tuibong in Churachandpur district along with his wife, Chingnu Haokip. The militants involved are alleged to belong to the UKNA group. Rishikanta was reportedly taken towards Natjang area in Churachandpur, where he was later brutally executed.
A native of Kakching Khunou, Rishikanta had been working in Nepal and had returned to Manipur to meet his wife, who belongs to the Chin-Kuki community. Reports cited by the MHS claim that the couple had obtained prior permission from the Kuki National Organization (KNO), a militant group currently under a Suspension of Operations (SoO) agreement with the Government of India.
The MHS stated that the incident was not an isolated crime but part of what it described as a recurring “abduct-and-execute” pattern allegedly employed by Chin-Kuki militant groups since the outbreak of ethnic violence on May 3, 2023. The organization traced this pattern back to the initial attacks in Torbung area of Churachandpur district.
In its statement, the MHS accused militant groups of operating with “alarming impunity” and cited previous incidents, including the killings of students Hijam Linthonngambi and Philem Hemanjit, as well as the Jiribam massacre, in which six women and children, including a 10-month-old infant, were allegedly killed—an incident that drew widespread condemnation.
Describing Wednesday’s killing as a “grim testimony to the continuing reign of terror,” the MHS said the incident occurred despite repeated assurances from the Ministry of Home Affairs and the Manipur government regarding improvements in law and order following the imposition of President’s Rule in February 2025.
The organization held both the state and central governments responsible for what it termed a complete breakdown of law and order and questioned the inability of authorities to dismantle armed militant networks allegedly operating openly in certain Chin-Kuki–dominated districts for nearly three years.
Warning that continued inaction could embolden further violence, the MHS issued a set of demands, including the immediate arrest and prosecution of those involved in Rishikanta’s abduction and killing, intensified security operations to neutralize armed militant groups, and a clear, written action plan from both the Government of India and the Government of Manipur outlining measures to protect civilians from similar incidents in the future.
