Reuters and The Indian Express independently reported that police said three Kuki men were killed in a gunfire exchange at Kekru Naga village in Noney district on Oct. 31; police described the armed participants as unidentified. Manipur Police's Nov. 1 statement, reproduced by News Live, says a joint team recovered two bodies in the search for two people missing from Taphou Kuki village since Oct. 28; The Indian Express identified the men and reported the recovery in Senapati district. NDTV reported protests, clashes, tear gas and a blocked NH-2 after the recovery. The two incidents are separate, and no source establishes a connection or identifies perpetrators. Both images are dated photographs of Imphal used only for state-level context, not photographs of either incident.
Five deaths, two separate incidents
Five Kuki men were killed in two separate incidents in Manipur over the weekend, police said. The reports describe distinct events; investigators have not said that the killings were connected.
Three men died on Saturday, Oct. 31, in an exchange of gunfire at Kekru Naga village in Noney district. Police described the armed participants as “unidentified armed miscreants,” Reuters reported. The Indian Express also reported that police had not identified those involved or explained what triggered the shooting.
In the second case, two men who had gone missing from Taphou Kuki village on Oct. 28 were found dead on Sunday, Nov. 1. Manipur Police said a joint search east of National Highway 2 along the SP Road recovered two bodies. The Indian Express identified the men as Paoginlal Hangshing and Tinginlun Chongloi.
Recovery triggers protests and a highway blockade
The recovery prompted crowds to gather in Kangpokpi, where tensions escalated into clashes, NDTV reported. Security forces used tear gas to disperse demonstrators, and protesters blocked National Highway 2, a key route through the area. Businesses and private institutions were also shut during a protest called by the Committee on Tribal Unity.
Police said legal procedures were under way and that search operations would continue to identify and apprehend those responsible for the deaths of the two missing men. No authority cited in the reporting had publicly named a suspect in either incident.
Fresh killings deepen an unresolved conflict
Manipur has faced recurring ethnic violence since clashes between Meitei and Kuki communities erupted in May 2023. Reuters reported that the wider conflict has killed more than 300 people and displaced over 60,000, many of whom remain in temporary shelters.
The weekend deaths add to separate tensions between Kuki and Naga communities in the state. The immediate sequence is clear; who carried out the attacks, why they happened and whether the two incidents are linked remain unanswered.
Sources
5 references
- ReutersFive killed in fresh ethnic violence in India’s Manipur stateReports police accounts of the two separate incidents and provides context on the longer conflict; it does not identify those responsible. · 2026-11-01
- Manipur Police, quoted by News LiveBodies of missing duo recovered in Kangpokpi, police sayReproduces the police statement on the search operation and recovery of two bodies near SP Road; police said efforts to identify and apprehend those responsible would continue. · 2026-11-01
- The Indian ExpressManipur: 3 Kuki-Zo men killed in exchange of fire with unidentified militantsReports the Saturday deaths at Kekru Naga, citing police, and notes that police did not name the armed participants or explain the cause. · 2026-11-01
- The Indian Express2 missing Kuki youths found dead in Manipur’s Senapati as tensions mountReports the identities of the two missing men, police search and recovery, and says circumstances and responsibility remain under investigation. · 2026-11-02
- NDTV5 Killed In Manipur: Protests In Kangpokpi After Two Bodies Found, 3 Shot In NoneyReports clashes and protests after the recovery, including tear gas use and the blocking of National Highway 2. · 2026-11-01
