IMPHAL: A series of violent killings rocked the already fragile situation in Manipur. In the last 24 hours, at least 7 people were killed in different incidents of attack and abduction by Kuki and Naga militant groups, and several people are still missing. With fresh violence between Naga and Kuki-Zo groups in at least three districts, reports of arson, killings, attacks on villages, and abductions have been reported from different parts of the hill districts of Manipur.
Kamjong and Ukhrul on fire:
The worst of the violence was in Kamjong district. In Chassad, 23-year-old Michael Ngamminlen Haokip was reportedly shot dead on Saturday morning when suspected armed men opened fire in the area. It came barely a day after Domkhonei Touthang, a Kuki woman and mother of five, died of bullet wounds in the same locality at about 9:40 pm on Friday.
Near the Myanmar border, two Naga villagers were gunned down in Ningchou village at around 9:30 am. They were identified as Ngachanso Ningshen, 35, and Leishishan Leishadang, 48. Locals said that Kuki militants came from the other side of the border and attacked the villagers. The militants reportedly take a few men as hostages.
In neighbouring Ukhrul district, 40-year-old Sandeep Rai, from the Nepali community, was killed in what is alleged to have been an ambush near Yaolen, close to TM Kasom. Suspected Kuki gunmen reportedly fired on the four-wheeler he was driving, and he died at the spot. Police reached the area to begin investigations. It is believed that the Kuki Revolutionary Army (KRA) ambushed the vehicle and killed Rai.
By one count, the confirmed toll stood at five, with four deaths in Kamjong and one in Ukhrul. Another report put the day’s losses at seven and said a police station in Kamjong had been set on fire. These figures have not been reconciled by the authorities.
Apart from the killings, in and around the Chassad area, about 10 houses and 20 shops were set ablaze. The extent of the damage and the number of displaced families are still unclear. Section 163 of the
Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita, 2023 has been imposed in both the districts to control unwanted situations.
Kangpokpi on edge
Reports from the Tapon–Makui belt along the IT Road allege a fresh armed attack on Naga civilians. According to these accounts, Tapon and Makui Asang, two Liangmai Naga villages, were attacked by Kuki armed groups. One person was reportedly killed at Tapon and another at Makui Asang, and two others were seriously injured. Two Nagas from Makui Asang have been reported missing.
