IMPHAL: Tension escalated in Manipur on Thursday after four people, including three church leaders, were killed in two separate ambushes in Kangpokpi and Noni districts. Separate incidents of alleged kidnappings occurred in Senapati and Kangbukpi districts following worsening mistrust between the two communities.
Conflict between the Tangkul Naga and Kuki communities escalated last week, but was sparked by a drunken brawl between community youth in Litan Sarikhong village, Ukrul district, on February 7. Since then, sporadic incidents of violence, including shootings, have been reported in Ukrul and Kamjong districts between community armed groups.
Manipur has 16 districts. Meitei communities dominate five districts in the valley, including Imphal East, Imphal West, Thoupal, Kakching and Bishnupur, while Naga and Kuki communities inhabit the remaining 11 districts.
The latest escalation
A complaint was filed with Senapati Police Station last week alleging that 23 Kuki villagers, including women, elderly people and minors, were illegally detained on Wednesday afternoon while returning home from work by Tangkul Naga community members, local officials said.
According to the complaint filed by Tavo Kuki village authority chief Linkomang Chongloy, the accident occurred at around 1:30 pm when seven trucks and one car, carrying daily wage workers from the village, were stopped at two locations near Senapati petrol pump in Rekomay Tavo and Viamai Tavo in Senapati district.
The complaint alleged that the villagers were intercepted by local residents and members of a student organization despite traveling under police escort and in the presence of state and central security personnel. They were reportedly taken towards an undisclosed location in Karong area in the same district.
The kidnapping came hours after the ambush at Sahipong Peak between Kotzim and Kotlin in Kangbukpi district on Wednesday morning, in which four people were killed, including two priests and a priest. Officials said the victims were traveling in a car when they were attacked by unknown armed assailants.
In a separate incident linked to the aftermath of the ambush, 18 civilians, including 5 men and 15 women from Konsakul, a Liangmai Naga village, were kidnapped from Lilon Phifei, a Kuki village in Kangbukpi District, on Wednesday afternoon. Rescue operations launched by security forces are still continuing.
The 18 were released later on Thursday and Friday, officials said.
Government response
State Home Minister Govindas Kunthugam, along with MLAs, visited Jawaharlal Nehru Institute of Medical Sciences (JNIMS) Hospital, Porumbat, Imphal East where he met families of those killed in a separate ambush incident recently at Gogangtik in Noni district and promised a thorough investigation into the kidnappings.
Konthoujam also held discussions with representatives of the Chiru (Naga tribe) community including Nungba MLA, Dinganglung Gangmei Assembly Constituency and Tamenglong MLA Janghemlung Panmei Assembly Constituency, amid growing concerns about tensions between the local communities.
Kunthugam told reporters on Thursday that the government is in active discussions with civil society groups and political leaders to ensure the release of these people. On Thursday, people from the Kuki and Naga communities staged separate sit-ins in the Kangbukpi area to protest the alleged kidnappings.
He added: “Such incidents continuing in the state deserve strong condemnation. Being human beings, we should love each other. How long will it continue like this? We have a very skeptical mind that there are some who do not want peace restored in the state.”
Violence continues
Recent events have highlighted the fragile security situation in Manipur, where ethnic tensions and sporadic violence persist despite the heavy deployment of state and central security forces.
Local officials said that a fight between drunks in Al-Litan in February led to escalation of tension in the area. More than 50 homes, including government offices, were burned in the Litan area of Ukrul District in the aftermath, leading to hostility between the Tangkul Naga and Kuki communities. They have traded accusations and counter-allegations against each other, alleging that armed militants from local communities targeted civilians with impunity.
There is a history of intermittent Kuki-Naga conflict: more than 1,000 people were killed in clashes between 1992 and 1997. The conflict has displaced families; Nagas residing in Moreh town were displaced and resettled in other areas, including Senapati and Ukhrul, after the conflict.
The latest round of escalation in the Tangkul Naga-Kuki conflict is the most serious in recent years, manifesting itself in new clashes, shootings and arson since February. The clash spread to other neighboring areas, including Kamjong and Senapati.
Manipur is inhabited by Naga, Meitei and Kuki as major population groups. The Meite and Kuki conflict has been ongoing since May 3, 2023. The conflict has killed more than 260 people, and displaced more than 60,000 people from both communities.
