A 38-year-old Meitei man was allegedly abducted and later shot dead by armed men in Manipur’s Churachandpur district on Wednesday evening, police said. The victim has been identified as Mayanglambam Rishikanta.
A video of the killing, which surfaced late Wednesday night and later went viral on social media, shows the man pleading for his life moments before he was shot dead. The district Superintendent of Police told India Today that officials became aware of the incident after the video began circulating online.
The man, who belonged to the Meitei community, had been living in a village in Churachandpur with his wife, who is from the Kuki-Zo community, for the past month. The village lies in a Kuki-Zo-majority area of the district.
Details from the viral video and the police
The 1-minute 12-second video shows a man sitting on the ground outdoors in the dark. The video carries the text “No peace, no popular government,” referring to ongoing discussions around restoring a popular government in the state. While the clip has no audio, the man can be seen pleading with folded hands towards unseen individuals.
Moments later, two gunshots are fired, after which he is seen lying motionless.
ALSO READ | AI gives Delhi Police the edge in murder probe, three suspects arrested
Churachandpur Superintendent of Police Gaurav Dogra confirmed that the incident took place between 7 and 7.30 pm on Wednesday. He said Rishikanta was originally from Kakching Khunou, a Meitei-majority area in Manipur’s valley region, and was staying at Nathjang village with his wife, Chingnu Haokip. The village is about a 30-minute drive from Churachandpur town.
As per reports, Dogra said, “We have got in touch with his wife and found that he had been staying at the village for the past month. All the locals, including the village authorities were aware. He does not normally live in Manipur; he works and lives in Nepal. Then yesterday, some armed miscreants arrived at the village and killed him. We have not been able to pinpoint those responsible yet and no one has taken responsibility for it, either. The investigation is ongoing,”
ALSO READ | Noida techie drowns two hours after car falls in drain: What we know so far
The killing comes during a period of relative calm in Manipur, nearly a year after President’s Rule was imposed in the state. President’s Rule will complete one year on February 14, amid ongoing discussions on restoring a popular government.
Last week, a meeting attended by representatives of Kuki-Zo insurgent groups under Suspension of Operation agreements, MLAs from the community and the Kuki-Zo Council passed a resolution outlining conditions for forming a new government, including a written political commitment on a separate Union Territory for Kuki-Zo-majority areas and a settlement before the Assembly’s term ends in 2027.
Here's the conversation between one of the Meitei husband's family members and his wife. Request someone to download add the English subtitles. The husband was with his wife since 19 Dec 2025. Both never informed the husband's family until the cold-blooded murder yesterday.
— Anamika Immortal (@Lombanaidabi) January 22, 2026
I… pic.twitter.com/D6QxDqRJ5m
