The Crossbill News Desk
At least nine people were killed in a fresh wave of violence across Manipur’s Kamjong, Kangpokpi and Ukhrul districts on Friday and Saturday, October 9 and 10, as gunfights, attacks on civilians and village guards, and arson intensified tensions between Kuki and Naga communities. The violence also triggered shutdowns along two major highways, further disrupting movement in the conflict-affected state.
The killings occurred as chief minister Yumnam Khemchand Singh was in New Delhi meeting Prime Minister Narendra Modi. During his visit, Singh said his government “remains steadfast in its resolve to advance lasting peace, stability” in Manipur.
According to a Hindustan Times report, four people were killed in Kamjong, another four in Kangpokpi and one in Ukhrul. The victims included six Nagas, two Kukis and a man of Nepali origin, the newspaper reported, citing officials and local village volunteers.
The violence erupted on Friday night near Chassad police station in Kamjong district, where Domkhonei Touthang, a 42-year-old Kuki woman and mother of five, was killed amid firing involving security personnel and an armed group. According to some media reports, she was caught in crossfire during an operation by the police, Indian Reserve Battalion and Border Security Force to dismantle alleged illegal bunkers near the police station.
However, EastMojo, citing sources, reported that women from Chassad had gathered to protest the detention of a group of youths by IRB personnel. A scuffle reportedly followed, during which Touthang sustained fatal injuries.
Her death was followed by exchanges of fire and arson, with at least 14 houses belonging to members of both communities reportedly burnt. Michael Ngamminlen Haokip, a 23-year-old man, was killed in the clashes in Chassad on Saturday.
The violence subsequently spread to other locations, with competing allegations emerging over the identity of those responsible. Kuki groups accused Naga armed groups of targeting Kuki civilians, while reports from the region also attributed attacks on Naga settlements to suspected Kuki militants.
Two Naga men, Ngachanso Ningshen and Leishisan Leishadang, were killed on Saturday morning at Ningchou village in Kamjong district.
In neighbouring Ukhrul district, Sandeep Rai, a civilian of Nepali origin, was shot dead in an ambush on National Highway 202. A report suggested that armed Kuki groups operating from Myanmar may have been involved, although the circumstances of the attack and the identities of the assailants remain to be independently established.
Kangpokpi district also witnessed deadly attacks on Naga village guards and civilians. According to The Sangai Express, three Naga village guards were killed in an attack on Makui Ashang village, while a civilian died in a separate ambush at Tapon Liangmai village. Two people were injured in the latter incident. Several houses were also reportedly set ablaze in the district.
The fresh violence prompted civil society organisations to announce shutdowns along two important road links. The Committee on Tribal Unity (CoTU) called a 24-hour shutdown on National Highway 2, which connects Imphal with Dimapur, across Kangpokpi district from Saturday evening until Sunday evening. Separately, the Working Committee of Kuki Civil Society Organisations, Ukhrul, announced an indefinite shutdown along National Highway 202, connecting Imphal and Ukhrul, beginning Saturday morning.
The state government condemned the killings and appealed for restraint. In a statement posted on X, the chief minister’s office said Singh had instructed the authorities to take immediate and effective steps to control the situation, restore peace and order, and ensure the safety and security of citizens. Additional security personnel were deployed to the worst-affected districts.
The latest outbreak has also drawn sharp condemnation from Kuki Inpi Manipur, the apex body of Kuki tribes, which alleged that Kuki-Zo civilians had been subjected to coordinated attacks in multiple locations.
The organisation strongly condemned “the series of coordinated, unprovoked, and brutal attacks carried out against innocent Kuki-Zo civilians across Chassad in Kamjong district, Yaolen in Ukhrul district, and the IT Road area in Kangpokpi district”.
“These cowardly acts of aggression were orchestrated by NSCN-IM and NSCN-Eastern Flank elements in active collusion with state security forces, including Tangkhul state police and the Indian Reserve Battalion (IRB),” the tribal body said in a statement issued on Saturday.
The allegations of collusion contained in the statement have not been independently verified.
The renewed clashes underscore the continuing fragility of Manipur’s security situation, where ethnic violence that began in May 2023 has claimed hundreds of lives and displaced thousands of people.
The latest killings, attacks on settlements and disruption of transport links have raised fresh concerns about the prospects for peace and the protection of civilians amid persistent inter-community tensions.
The killings occurred as chief minister Yumnam Khemchand Singh was in New Delhi meeting Prime Minister Narendra Modi. During his visit, Singh said his government “remains steadfast in its resolve to advance lasting peace, stability” in Manipur.
According to a Hindustan Times report, four people were killed in Kamjong, another four in Kangpokpi and one in Ukhrul. The victims included six Nagas, two Kukis and a man of Nepali origin, the newspaper reported, citing officials and local village volunteers.
The violence erupted on Friday night near Chassad police station in Kamjong district, where Domkhonei Touthang, a 42-year-old Kuki woman and mother of five, was killed amid firing involving security personnel and an armed group. According to some media reports, she was caught in crossfire during an operation by the police, Indian Reserve Battalion and Border Security Force to dismantle alleged illegal bunkers near the police station.
However, EastMojo, citing sources, reported that women from Chassad had gathered to protest the detention of a group of youths by IRB personnel. A scuffle reportedly followed, during which Touthang sustained fatal injuries.
Her death was followed by exchanges of fire and arson, with at least 14 houses belonging to members of both communities reportedly burnt. Michael Ngamminlen Haokip, a 23-year-old man, was killed in the clashes in Chassad on Saturday.
The violence subsequently spread to other locations, with competing allegations emerging over the identity of those responsible. Kuki groups accused Naga armed groups of targeting Kuki civilians, while reports from the region also attributed attacks on Naga settlements to suspected Kuki militants.
Two Naga men, Ngachanso Ningshen and Leishisan Leishadang, were killed on Saturday morning at Ningchou village in Kamjong district.
In neighbouring Ukhrul district, Sandeep Rai, a civilian of Nepali origin, was shot dead in an ambush on National Highway 202. A report suggested that armed Kuki groups operating from Myanmar may have been involved, although the circumstances of the attack and the identities of the assailants remain to be independently established.
Kangpokpi district also witnessed deadly attacks on Naga village guards and civilians. According to The Sangai Express, three Naga village guards were killed in an attack on Makui Ashang village, while a civilian died in a separate ambush at Tapon Liangmai village. Two people were injured in the latter incident. Several houses were also reportedly set ablaze in the district.
The fresh violence prompted civil society organisations to announce shutdowns along two important road links. The Committee on Tribal Unity (CoTU) called a 24-hour shutdown on National Highway 2, which connects Imphal with Dimapur, across Kangpokpi district from Saturday evening until Sunday evening. Separately, the Working Committee of Kuki Civil Society Organisations, Ukhrul, announced an indefinite shutdown along National Highway 202, connecting Imphal and Ukhrul, beginning Saturday morning.
The state government condemned the killings and appealed for restraint. In a statement posted on X, the chief minister’s office said Singh had instructed the authorities to take immediate and effective steps to control the situation, restore peace and order, and ensure the safety and security of citizens. Additional security personnel were deployed to the worst-affected districts.
The latest outbreak has also drawn sharp condemnation from Kuki Inpi Manipur, the apex body of Kuki tribes, which alleged that Kuki-Zo civilians had been subjected to coordinated attacks in multiple locations.
The organisation strongly condemned “the series of coordinated, unprovoked, and brutal attacks carried out against innocent Kuki-Zo civilians across Chassad in Kamjong district, Yaolen in Ukhrul district, and the IT Road area in Kangpokpi district”.
“These cowardly acts of aggression were orchestrated by NSCN-IM and NSCN-Eastern Flank elements in active collusion with state security forces, including Tangkhul state police and the Indian Reserve Battalion (IRB),” the tribal body said in a statement issued on Saturday.
The allegations of collusion contained in the statement have not been independently verified.
The renewed clashes underscore the continuing fragility of Manipur’s security situation, where ethnic violence that began in May 2023 has claimed hundreds of lives and displaced thousands of people.
The latest killings, attacks on settlements and disruption of transport links have raised fresh concerns about the prospects for peace and the protection of civilians amid persistent inter-community tensions.
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