A Naga Village Guard member was killed and five injured in Noney, prompting the JTC to announce an indefinite shutdown
IMPHAL — A Naga Village Guard (NVG) member was killed and five others, including two personnel of the CoBRA battalion of Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF), were injured during an armed confrontation in Manipur's Noney district on Wednesday, according to sources.
The incident occurred during an early morning operation by a CoBRA unit at Bitiang village under Tupul subdivision, where an exchange of fire reportedly broke out with NVG members, the sources said.
The deceased was identified as Lanbimei Riamei (22) of Longmai Bazaar, Noney. The injured CRPF personnel were identified as Head Constable Radheshyam and Constable Jitendra Kumar of the CoBRA unit. The identities of the three other injured persons were not immediately known.
Following the incident, the working committee of Joint Tribe Council (JTC), Manipur, announced an immediate and indefinite shutdown across areas inhabited by the Inpui, Liangmai, Rongmei and Zeme communities.
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The council alleged that the security operation had targeted members of the Naga Village Guard and demanded intervention by the government of India. It further accused the security forces of targeting Naga civilians instead of bringing those responsible for recent killings to justice and called for an immediate halt to security operations in Naga villages.
The JTC, however, said essential services, including healthcare, educational institutions, water supply, electricity and telecommunication services, would remain exempt from the shutdown.
As of the filing of this report, security agencies had not issued an official statement on the incident.