In yet another disturbing incident of violence against innocent civilians, a farmer from Sinakeithei village, Mr. Newton Mahung (49), son of Late Mayonmi Mahung, was shot and seriously injured while working in the paddy field at Ihang Plains, approximately 300 metres from the residential area, at around 03:05 PM on 12 November 2026.
The victim, a married man and father of three, sustained a perforating gunshot injury to his right forearm, along with injuries to three fingers of his left hand, excluding the index finger.
As per information received, armed Kuki miscreants opened fire on farmers working in their paddy fields from the Lungter Hills range. What makes this incident particularly alarming and deeply disturbing is that the firing reportedly took place in the immediate vicinity of the 105 G Coy BSF post stationed at Sinakeithei Lungter Midhill, with security personnel already deployed in the area. Meanwhile, State Police personnel, Manipur Rifles and the 151 F Coy BSF were stationed within the residential sector of Sinakeithei village.
Today’s incident raises serious and unavoidable questions about the failure of the security personnel stationed at Midhill to intervene when farmers were directly subjected to gunfire.
What makes the incident even more distressing is that the Sinakeithei Village Authority had sought security assistance nearly three weeks in advance, particularly anticipating the vulnerabilities associated with the paddy harvesting season. Despite this advance request, a farmer has once again been shot while attempting to harvest his own grains.
Had there been timely intervention and a more effective response from the security personnel stationed at Midhill, today’s unfortunate incident might well have been prevented.
It was only after State security forces and the 151 F Coy BSF stationed near Sinakeithei Cemetery responded with counter-fire from the cemetery side that the rescue operation of the injured and the farmers stuck in the fields became possible. This raises an even more pressing question: Why did the security personnel stationed at the nearest BSF post fail to intervene at the initial stage, when the firing was taking place right beside their position? What is the purpose of maintaining an established security post in such a strategically vulnerable location if armed assailants can openly fire upon innocent farmers within its immediate vicinity without an effective response?
Sinakeithei village has been enduring repeated attacks, intimidation and armed violence since the outbreak of the present crisis. The consequences have been devastating, particularly for a community whose livelihood is fundamentally dependent on agriculture.
The extent of the disruption is reflected in one stark reality: out of the entire cultivable paddy land of Sinakeithel, barely 2% has been cultivated this year. The remaining agricultural land has largely been left barren and uncultivated because of the persistent threat to civilian lives. Even this meagre cultivation has been possible only because of the security arrangements, particularly the presence of the 151 F Coy BSF stationed near the Sinakeithei Cemetery. Trusting these arrangements, few determined farmers dared to return to their fields despite the prevailing atmosphere of fear and uncertainty, hoping to secure a harvest for their families.
Yet, today’s incident has once again places even that little hope in jeopardy.
Sinakeithei is literally fighting a battle for survival. Its people are being forced to choose between abandoning their ancestral agricultural lands and risking their lives to cultivate them. A farmer should never have to face gunfire simply for trying to feed his family.
The people of Sinakeithei are not asking for anything extraordinary. We are asking for the most fundamental responsibility of the government and its security apparatus: the protection of civilian lives, land and livelihood.
We therefore earnestly call upon the Government of Manipur and the concerned security authorities to:
1. Ensure immediate medical assistance and all necessary support to the injured farmer and his family.
2. Institute an impartial inquiry into today’s incident, particularly the response, or lack of timely intervention, by the 105 G Coy BSF personnel stationed at Lungter Midhill.
3. Examine the advance security request submitted by the Village Authority nearly three weeks prior and establish whether adequate preventive measures were taken.
4. Review and strengthen existing security arrangements along the Lungter Hills range and vulnerable agricultural areas, ensuring that security personnel respond promptly when civilian lives are threatened.
5. Ensure safe access to agricultural fields so that the farmers can continue harvesting their crops without the constant fear of being shot.
6. Take decisive preventive action against armed groups responsible for repeated attacks and ensure that those involved are brought to justice.
The people of Sinakeithei have endured enough. Our patience, resilience and determination to sustain our livelihood should not be mistaken for an absence of fear or an acceptance of continued violence.
If farmers cannot safely harvest their crops even with security personnel stationed within firing range, where else can they possibly find protection?
The deployment of security forces must translate into tangible protection on the ground, not merely the presence of personnel at designated posts. The lives of innocent farmers cannot be left at the mercy of armed assailants while those entrusted with their protection remain unable to respond effectively.
We seek no privilege, only protection. We seek no confrontation, only the right to live, cultivate our land and sustain our families in peace.
The Government and the concerned security authorities must intervene decisively, ensure accountability and restore the confidence of the people before another innocent life is lost.
A farmer should not have to risk his life to harvest his own paddy. And no village should have to fight for the right to survive.
Media Cell
Sinakeithei Village Authority
