At least nine people were killed across three districts of Manipur in 24 hours as Naga-Kuki clashes flared up again, officials aware of the matter said on Saturday, in one of the deadliest days in the strife-torn state.
Commuter killed in Ukhrul
Personnel from the state police, the Indian Reserve Battalion (IRB) and the Border Security Force (BSF) had launched a drive to destroy illegal bunkers built near Chassad police station, according to officials. Another official aware of the matter confirmed the identity of the deceased. Kamjong and Kangpokpi districts accounted for four deaths each, while one person was killed in Ukhrul, with security experts cautioning that the deaths could further escalate tensions. During the operation, a group of women attempted to disrupt the drive. “Armed groups from across the Indo-Myanmar border might be involved in the attack. A Kuki-Zo-dominated district, Kangpokpi also has a sizeable Naga population. The three deceased were identified as Machungammamg, Ajinpou Ringkangmai and Robart. Videos on social media showed a group of men carrying rifles around the disfigured body of one of the guards. HT independently could not verify the veracity of the video. About an hour later, suspected Kuki militants allegedly ambushed Naga village volunteers travelling from Tapon to Makui to assist the village. The group was allegedly ambushed by armed men suspected to be Kuki militants who were lying in wait along the route. “This shutdown is a precautionary measure in response to the serious security threat facing civilians. The motive for the attack and the identity of those responsible are yet to be established. Litan police recovered the body and registered a case in connection with the incident.
The violence was triggered after a 42-year-old Kuki woman was killed in cross-fire between security forces and an armed group on Friday night, in the Naga-majority Kamjong district, near Chassad police station. The Kuki Women Union, a civil society group comprising women from the Kuki community, claimed that 23-year-old Michael Ngamminlen Haokip, a Kuki man, was also shot dead. As tensions mounted, unidentified persons set fire to at least 14 houses belonging to members of the two communities. The violence continued on Saturday morning, when two Naga village guards were killed at around 9.30 am in Ningchou Chingdong village, around 17 km from the site of the initial clash. Police identified the deceased as Ngachanso Ningshen, 30, and Leishishan Hungyo, 50. The attack, which took place around 2km from Tapon, killed Machungwangbou, 35, of Thalon village, and left two other volunteers injured. Amid the escalating violence, the Committee on Tribal Unity (CoTU), a Kuki body, announced a 24-hour total shutdown across Kangpokpi district from Saturday. Police said the incidents occurred around 5.30am along National Highway 202, which connects Imphal to Nagaland via Ukhrul, about 12km north-west of Litan police station. The deceased was identified by police as Sandeep Rai, 30, a man of Nepalese origin who was travelling in his car when the assailants attacked him. Manipur has been reeling 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, deaths of nearly 320 people. 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, including three church leaders, were killed by unknown assailants. 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 Kukis and six Nagas 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.
The violence unfolded even as Manipur chief minister Y Khemchand Singh met Prime Minister Narendra Modi in Delhi and said the government “remains steadfast in its resolve to advance lasting peace, stability” in the state. Six of the dead were Nagas, two were Kukis and one was a man of Nepalese origin, according to officials and local village volunteers. “The chief minister has condemned the killing of innocent civilians and the violence that occurred today…[CM] has instructed the authorities to take immediate and effective steps to tackle the situation, restore peace and order,” the Manipur chief minister’s office said in a post on X. As officials tried to reason with them, unidentified assailants opened fire on the security personnel, who retaliated, officials said. “Domkhonei Touthang, a mother of five, was hit by a bullet during the altercation and died,” an official aware of the matter said on condition of anonymity. However, there is no official confirmation, and an investigation is under way,” a senior police said on condition of anonymity. Local residents said that one of the guards was maimed, but there was no official confirmation. The volunteers had set out for Makui after receiving information that the village was under attack by unidentified armed men, according to local accounts. The two injured volunteers sustained bullet injuries and were evacuated to Senapati district headquarters for treatment, officials said. A gunfight was going on in the area at the time of going to print, according to officials. CoTU appeals to all concerned to remain vigilant, maintain peace and refrain from actions that could further aggravate the situation,” the organisation said in a statement. “The assailants ambushed him while he was travelling in his car,” a police officer said on condition of anonymity.
In neighbouring Kangpokpi district, three Naga village guards were killed in an attack on Makui village at around 5am on Saturday, according to officials and people aware of the matter. In a separate incident, a commuter was killed in an ambush by unidentified armed assailants at Konjang village in Ukhrul district on Saturday morning.
