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At least nine people have been killed in fresh clashes between Naga and Kuki communities across three districts of India’s northeastern state of Manipur in the past 24 hours, raising fears of further escalation.
Officials said the dead included six Nagas, two Kukis and a person of Nepali origin. Four people were killed in each of Kamjong and Kangpokpi districts, while one died in Ukhrul.
Meanwhile, Manipur Chief Minister Y Khemchand Singh met Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi in New Delhi, reaffirming the government’s commitment to restoring lasting peace and stability in the state.
In a statement, the chief minister’s office said Singh condemned the killings of innocent people and violence, and directed officials to take prompt and effective measures to bring the situation under control and restore law and order.
Tensions escalated in Kamjong district on Friday night after a 42-year-old Kuki woman was killed during an exchange of fire between security forces and an armed group.
Police, the Indian Reserve Battalion and the Border Security Force (BSF) were conducting an operation to remove illegal bunkers near Chassad police station when a group of women allegedly tried to obstruct them.
As officials spoke with the women, unidentified attackers opened fire on security personnel, prompting retaliatory shots. Domkhonei Touthang, a mother of five, was caught in the gunfire and killed.
The Kuki Women Union claimed that a 23-year-old Kuki man, Michael Ngamminlen Haokip, was also killed in the incident. Another official confirmed his identity.
As the situation deteriorated, at least 14 houses belonging to members of the two communities were set on fire.
On Saturday morning, two Naga village guards were killed in Ningchou Chingdong village, around 17 kilometres from the initial site of the clashes. They were identified as Ngachanso Ningshen, 30, and Leishishan Hungyo, 50.
A senior police officer said an armed group operating from across the India-Myanmar border might have been involved in the attack, but the claim had yet to be confirmed. An investigation is underway.
In neighbouring Kangpokpi district, three Naga village guards — Machungamamang, Ajinpou Ringkangmai and Robert — were killed in an attack on Makui village early Saturday.
About an hour later, Naga volunteers travelling from Tapon towards Makui came under attack. Local residents said they were heading to help after learning that the village had been targeted when suspected Kuki armed men ambushed them.
Machungwangbou, 35, from Thalon village, was killed and two others were injured. The wounded were taken to the Senapati district headquarters for treatment.
Officials said gunfire was continuing in the area at the time of the report.
Following the violence, the Committee on Tribal Unity, a Kuki organisation, called a 24-hour total shutdown in Kangpokpi district, citing concerns over civilian safety.
In Ukhrul district, Sandeep Rai, 30, a man of Nepali origin, was killed in an ambush by unidentified armed attackers on Saturday morning.
Police said he was travelling by car through Kanjang village on National Highway 202, which connects Imphal and Ukhrul with Nagaland, when the attack took place at around 5:30am.
The motive and identities of the attackers remain unknown. Police have registered a case.
Ethnic violence has gripped Manipur since May 2023, initially pitting the majority Meitei community against the indigenous Kuki community. Other communities have since become involved in the conflict.
Around 320 people have been killed and 66,000 displaced since the violence began, according to the report. The conflict has deepened divisions among communities across the state.
The Naga community was initially not involved in the conflict. However, Nagas were drawn into the violence after four civilians, including three church leaders, were killed in separate ambushes in Noney and Kangpokpi districts on May 13 this year.
Forty-eight people from the Naga and Kuki communities were taken hostage that day. Although some were later released in stages, the recovery of the mutilated bodies of six Naga hostages further heightened tensions.
Source : Hindusthan Times