Imphal: A 45-year-old man was shot dead by suspected militants in a forest area in Manipur's Kangpokpi district on Tuesday, police said.

The incident occurred around 8 am when Paolen Khongsai of P Molding village and another person were collecting bamboo shoots, they said. The other man escaped the attack.

This came a day after suspected militants ambushed 14 Meitei firewood collectors in the same district, killing three of them.

Protesting Tuesday's killing, the Committee on Tribal Unity has called a 24-Hour total shutdown in the district from midnight over the killings of civilians from the Kuki community.

In a statement, the committee said the continued suffering of the Kuki people -- marked by loss of lives, destruction of homes, forced displacement and persistent insecurity -- demands urgent attention.