Guwahati: The death toll, in a fresh spate of violence across three districts of Manipur on Sunday reached nine with the killing of a Kuki mother of five and a Gorkha farmer in the past 24 hours of violence.
Police on Sunday said that at least nine people were killed and around 14 houses set ablaze in a deadly outbreak of ethnic violence that started on Friday across Manipur’s Kamjong, Kangpokpi and Ukhrul districts.
The victims comprised six members of the Naga community, two from the Kuki community and one man of Nepali (Gorkha) origin, according to police and local sources. Four deaths each were reported in Kamjong and Kangpokpi, with one in Ukhrul. The violence erupted on Friday night near Chassad police station in Naga-majority Kamjong district. Domkhonei Touthang, a 42-year-old Kuki woman and mother of five, was shot dead during an exchange of fire between security forces and armed groups.
A joint team of Manipur Police, India Reserve Battalion (IRB) and Border Security Force (BSF) personnel had launched an operation to dismantle alleged illegal bunkers and arrest village volunteers.
Local women protested the action; unidentified assailants then opened fire on the security team, prompting retaliation. Touthang sustained a bullet injury near the neck or upper left chest and died on the spot. An attempt was also made to set the police station on fire.Her killing triggered intense clashes between Kuki and Naga armed groups. Early on Saturday, 22- or 23-year-old Kuki man Michael Ngamminlen Haokip was shot dead in Chassad.
Multiple houses belonging to both communities were burnt in the area. Around 9.30 am on Saturday, two Naga village guards — Ngachanso Ningshen (30–35) and Leishishan Hungyo or Leishadang (45–50) — were killed in an attack at Ningchou Chingdong village, about 17 km southeast of Chassad near the Myanmar border.
Suspected militants were blamed for the assault on the Tangkhul Naga settlement.In Kangpokpi district, four Naga village guards or volunteers were killed in attacks around Tapon, Makui and the Imphal-Tamenglong road corridor. Those named in reports included M. Daimai, R. Gangmei and Ringkangmai, a Naga civil society group claimed one victim, identified as Ajinbou or Ajinpou Ringkangmai (around 52), was beheaded and demanded the return of the severed head for burial.
In a separate incident in Ukhrul district, Sandeep Rai, a 40-year-old man of Nepali origin, was shot dead in an ambush while travelling on National Highway 202 or an adjoining road near Konjang or Yaolen.Kamjong district authorities imposed prohibitory orders restricting gatherings within a 400-metre radius of Chassad police station.
Kuki organisations called for shutdowns, including an indefinite blockade on NH-202 and a 24-hour shutdown in Kangpokpi.
The violence occurred when chief minister Y. Khemchand Singh was meeting Prime Minister Narendra Modi in New Delhi. The Prime Minister assured all possible central assistance to restore peace and normalcy. In a statement, the chief minister condemned the killing of innocent civilians, appealed for peace and restraint, and directed authorities to take immediate and effective steps to control the situation and ensure the safety of all citizens. Security has been intensified in the affected hill districts. Both Naga and Kuki groups have traded charges, with some alleging the involvement of militant outfits, including possible cross-border elements from Myanmar.
The fresh bloodshed has triggered ethnic tensions in Manipur. The state has been gripped by violence since May 2023, initially between the Meitei and Kuki-Zo communities, which later expanded to involve Naga groups in the hill areas.
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