An 18-year-old footballer from the Mohun Bagan U-18 team was among three members of the Kuki community who were injured after a gun battle broke out between two armed groups in conflict-torn Kangpokpi district of Manipur on Monday, officials familiar with the matter said.
Later, demonstrations were held in front of the Regional Institute of Medical Sciences complex in Imphal, where the injured were taken for treatment. The demonstrators claimed that the three were armed, prompting security forces to use batons and tear gas bombs to disperse the mob.
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According to officials, the shooting occurred at around 6 am in the border area between Lilon Fifei – Kuki Village – and Konsakul – Naga Village – in Kangbukpi District when militants engaged in a gunfight in the majority Kuki District.
This comes days after security forces found six mutilated bodies of Naga hostages, taken by Kuki militants last month.
Officials identified the three injured people as Lonliandan Fayfi (20 years old); Ginzamang Faifei (18); and Baogulal Chongloy (18 years old) from Kangbukpi district.
According to residents of Konsakhul village, while they were working in a rice field located in the border area under the jurisdiction of their village, some armed groups opened fire on them. They fled the area and reported the incident to the Naga Village Guard (NVG), who retaliated, leading to the shooting.
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A team of security forces from 158 and 112 Companies of CRPF intervened in the encounter and brought the situation under control around 6.40 am, the officials said. Security forces evacuated the three injured people to the 183 Military Hospital in Limakhong to receive first aid, before shifting them to RIMS in Imphal under tight security measures.
Shortly after, a group of protesters gathered near RIMS, protesting the admission of infected youth. According to accounts from officials and eyewitnesses, the crowd later gathered near the victims’ building, prompting security personnel to intervene.
The protesters claimed that the injured youths were armed and questioned whether similar security arrangements would be provided for ordinary citizens traveling through Kuki-majority areas in Kangbukpi district.
As tensions escalated, security forces fired several rounds of tear gas shells and resorted to using batons after demonstrators allegedly attempted to enter the hospital building. This action led to panic among patients and attendees, with many people reportedly rushing to safer areas.
An official familiar with the matter said security measures have been beefed up since then, and authorities are closely monitoring the situation.
This is the most serious crisis in the state since CM Singh was sworn in on February 4, 2024, and lifted President’s Rule on February 13, bringing back popularly elected democratic government to a state that had been plagued by violence since May 2023, when ethnic clashes first broke out between the dominant Meitei and Kuki tribal communities. Since then, escalating violence has engulfed almost every community, leading to a complete breakdown of law and order, creating ethnic enclaves, displacing 60,000 people, and effectively dividing the country. Since May 13, amid rising tensions between the Naga and Kuki communities, a double ambush incident has occurred, leaving four civilians dead, including a Naga man and three church leaders.
Meanwhile, the Kuki-Zu Council, an apex body of the Kuki-Zu, condemned the incident and accused the National Socialist Council of the Nagaland-Isak Muivah faction (NSCN-IM) and the Zeliangrun United Front-Kamsun (ZUF-K) faction.
KZC claimed that among the three injured was a 15-year-old boy, while “Baojulal Chongloy is an Indian footballer who represents Mohun Bagan Football Club.” KZC reiterated their demand for “separate administration” as a political solution and urged the central government to meet their demands.
