Daijiworld Media Network - Imphal
Imphal, Oct 11: The situation remained tense in three hill districts of Manipur — Kamjong, Ukhrul and Kangpokpi — on Sunday as the death toll in fresh clashes between Naga and Kuki communities rose to nine, including a woman, officials said.
The deaths, reported on Friday and Saturday, included six Nagas, two Kukis and a Gorkha farmer, making the latest outbreak one of the deadliest episodes of violence in Manipur this year. No fresh incidents were reported in the three districts on Sunday.
Chief Minister Yumnam Khemchand Singh appealed for peace and restraint and directed the authorities concerned to take immediate measures to bring the situation under control.
"I condemn the killing of innocent civilians and the violence that occurred today in Kamjong and Kangpokpi districts," the Chief Minister said in posts on X and Facebook. He said he 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 all citizens.
"I appeal to public leaders and civil society organisations of different communities to come forward, exercise restraint, and cooperate in defusing the situation. I urge all sections of society to prioritise peace, dialogue and harmony," Khemchand Singh said.
Security forces, including Central Armed Police Forces (CAPF) personnel and Manipur Police, have intensified patrolling and search operations in the three violence-hit districts to prevent further escalation, officials said.
The latest violence erupted after a 42-year-old woman was killed in Chassad village in Kamjong district on Friday night. Although Kamjong has a predominantly Naga population, Chassad is a Kuki-majority village.
The woman, identified as Domkhonei Touthang, a mother of five, sustained a gunshot wound near her neck and died within minutes, a police official in Imphal said.
Her killing triggered an exchange of fire between armed groups belonging to the Kuki and Naga communities, which continued on Saturday. A 23-year-old man was also killed, while 10 houses were set ablaze during the clashes.
Kuki-Zo organisations held security forces and a Naga armed group responsible for the woman's death.
Following the violence, the Kamjong district magistrate issued an order under Section 163 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS), prohibiting the assembly of five or more people, the carrying of firearms and other potentially dangerous objects, and movement within the restricted area.
In a separate incident in Kangpokpi district on Saturday, suspected militants attacked Tapon and Makui villages, killing two Naga village guards, identified as M. Daimai and R. Gangmei, and another person, identified as Ringkangmai, officials said.
The Working Committee JTC Manipur, a Naga civil society organisation, also claimed that a 52-year-old villager, identified as Ajinbou R., had been beheaded by militants. The organisation demanded the return of his severed head so that his family could perform the last rites with dignity.
In another attack, suspected militants opened fire in Ningchou village, a Tangkhul Naga settlement near the India-Myanmar border in Kamjong district, killing two people, identified as 35-year-old Ngachanso Ningshen and 48-year-old Leishishan Leishadang, officials said.
Security forces rushed to the village following the attack. Local residents claimed that the armed assailants fled towards Myanmar.
Meanwhile, in Ukhrul district, a 40-year-old man identified as Sandeep Rai was shot dead near Chepu Yaolen after suspected militants allegedly opened fire on his vehicle. Rai, who belonged to the Nepali community, died inside the car he was driving, the police official said.
According to local accounts, more than 40 people have been killed and numerous houses burnt in clashes involving the Kuki and Naga communities in the affected districts since February this year. The violence has largely been concentrated in Ukhrul, Kamjong, Kangpokpi and Tamenglong districts, Noney district and parts of Senapati district.