Pallel, Aug 9:    Four individuals, including three Kuki-Zo village volunteers and one United Kuki Liberation Front (UKLF) member, were killed in a suspected gunfight early Friday. 

The incident, which occurred around 8 a.m. took place at two separate locations – Molnoi Pallel and Molnom, located approximately 1.5 kilometers apart in the Pallel area in Tengnoupal district, Manipur.

In a possible retaliatory act, members of the Village Volunteer Force (VVF) set fire to the house of SS Haokip, the leader of the UKLF, in Pallel. Heavy smoke was seen rising from the house as it was engulfed in flames. Security forces have cordoned off the area.