Imphal, Aug. 28 -- Four Naga people were killed and a fifth was injured when armed militants ambushed their vehicle in a forested region of Kangpokpi district of Manipur on Thursday morning, deepening the crisis in the northeastern state where violence has raged since 2023. The militants attacked the vehicle in an isolated area between Makui Ashang and Thabamba Naga villages around 8.30 am in a Naga-dominated Kangpokpi, killing four people on the spot, including a school principal, officials said. The strike - the worst in the state since May 13- hit an already plummeting relationship between the Naga and the Kuki community with the Naga People's Organisation (NPO) announcing a total shutdown in Senapati district with immediate effect. "I condemned the incident in the strongest terms. I have instructed the security officials to nab and initiate action against the perpetrators of the crime," chief minister Yumnam Khemchand Singh said on X. The killing occurred on the Imphal-Tamenglong (IT) road - a lifeline for the Naga community that dominates Tamenglong and Senapati districts. The Naga body stated that all shops and business establishments in Senapati district headquarter town will remain shut down indefinitely. The victims were returning to Senapati after a meeting at Makui village and belonged to the Liangmai Naga community. The deceased, all Liangmai Naga leaders, were identified as Tadsongbou Ringkangmai, founder and principal of Right Path School; T Khullen; Mariakdibou Wijunamai, executive member of Makui Youth Club; Wisobou Charenamai, chairman of the Chawangkining Village Authority, and Anil Wijunamai, executive member of Makui Youth Club, according to officials. One Gaikamang Ringkangmai sustained injuries in the attack. Officials said intense firing was reported after the attack. The circumstances leading to the incident and the identities of those responsible were not immediately established by officials. The United Naga Council (UNC), the apex body of the community, accused two Kuki militant outfits -- Kuki National Front (P) and Kuki Revolutionary Army (KRA) -- of being involved in the ambush. The Naga People's Organisation (NPO) forced shops and business establishments in Senapati district headquarters town to down shutters. The UNC also announced a 12-hour shutdown from 6 am in all Naga areas of the state on Friday. The strike is likely to impact normal life in the hill districts. "Expressing our collective mourning and paying homage to our fallen brothers, a one-day Genna shall be observed in all Naga areas and district headquarters from 6am to 6pm on August 28. During the stipulated period of Genna, all vehicular movement, shops & business establishments, government offices, and private & government institutions shall remain closed," UNC said in a statement. This is the largest casualty in the strife-torn state since May 13 and pushes the death toll in the three-year-long violence to nearly 300 with security experts cautioning that the grisly murders could ratchet up tensions in the restive province. This is the gravest crisis in the state since the swearing-in of chief minister Y Khemchand Singh on February 4 this year who was sworn in hours after the lifting of the President's Rule, which restored popularly elected democratic government to the state that reeled under violence since May 2023, when ethnic clashes first broke out between the dominant Meitei and tribal Kuki communities. Since then, almost every community has been engulfed by the spiralling violence that led to a complete breakdown of law and order, the creation of ethnic enclaves, the displacement of 66,000 people, and a virtual bifurcation of the state. The Naga community was initially not a part of the strife but was pulled into the violence on May 13, when - in a twin ambush carried out at Noney district and Kangpokpi district - four civilians were killed by unknown assailants, including three church leaders and one Naga man. On the same day, 48 civilians belonging to both Kuki and Naga communities were taken hostage by people from either groups. Two days later, 14 people from each community were set free. But 14 Kuki civilians and six Naga civilians remained captured. After 27 days of protest and appeals for unconditional release of both the hostages, UNC, along with other Naga civil bodies, released 14 Kuki civilians on June 9. But on June 10, mutilated bodies of six Naga hostages were recovered, ratcheting up tensions. Makui Village Authority - representing the village where the victims came from - alleged that Kuki militants were responsible for the attack, demanded the immediate arrest of those responsible, and said both the state and central governments must take full responsibility for the safety of Naga civilians in Kangpokpi district. Deputy chief minister Losii Dikho expressed strong condemnation of the incident that he described as a "heinous and barbaric attack on innocent Naga civilians allegedly by Kuki militants". "He asserted that the deliberate targeting of innocent civilians is utterly reprehensible and cannot be justified under any circumstances," a statement issued by his office said. "He appealed to all sections of the people to remain resolute in rejecting violence in all its forms. the collective resolve for peace must be stronger than forces seeking to divide the people," the statement added. In the evening, Dikho held a high-level meeting in Senapati with a delegation of UNC. Bharatiya Janata Party lawmaker Tongbram Robindro also attended the meeting, a government officials said on condition of anonymity. The discussions focused on the prevailing situation and the need to promote peace and stability. Senior officials and personnel from the Central Reserve Police Force, Assam Rifles and Senapati Police were also present, the deputy CM's office said in a statement. The Kuki Zo Council did not issue a statement on the incident. The Manipur Police did not comment or provide details on the killings....