Daijiworld Media Network – Imphal
Imphal, Jul 6: A 56-year-old Kuki woman and her eight-year-old daughter were injured in a fresh gunfight between two armed groups in Manipur's Kangpokpi district on Sunday, while at least three houses were set ablaze in a separate incident, police said.
According to officials, the gunfight broke out at around 5.10 pm at Thingkhogjang village near the Imphal-Silchar National Highway after members of the Kuki National Front-Presidential (KNF-P) allegedly attacked a camp of the Kuki Revolutionary Army (KRA). Both groups are signatories to the Suspension of Operations (SoO) agreement with the Centre.
The exchange of fire left the woman and her daughter with bullet injuries. They were shifted to the Regional Institute of Medical Sciences (RIMS) Hospital in Imphal, where hospital authorities said both sustained gunshot wounds to their thighs and were in stable condition.
Around the same time, at least three houses were set on fire in nearby Setjang village. Police are investigating the incident.
The Kuki-Inpi Manipur, a civil society organisation, condemned the attack, describing it as barbaric and cowardly. The organisation alleged that the National Socialist Council of Nagalim (Isak-Muivah) (NSCN-IM) and the Zeliangrong United Front (ZUF) were responsible for the violence.
The organisation also claimed that the district administration and police had earlier assured villagers of adequate security under an understanding with the Manipur government, allowing Kuki-Zo village volunteers to withdraw from security duties. It alleged that those assurances had failed and demanded an immediate, transparent, impartial and time-bound investigation into the incident.
Tensions between Naga and Kuki groups have remained high since the twin ambushes in Noney and Kangpokpi on May 13, in which three church leaders and a Naga man were killed. The violence was followed by protests and highway blockades by Naga organisations after six mutilated bodies were recovered.
The six victims were among 48 people abducted by separate Kuki and Naga groups following the May 13 attacks. While all Kuki hostages and 14 Naga captives were later released, the killings further deepened tensions between the communities.
Manipur has been witnessing ethnic unrest since May 2023, when clashes first broke out between the Meitei and Kuki-Zo communities before spreading to involve other groups. The violence has claimed at least 260 lives and displaced around 60,000 people.
While the state government maintains that there are no officially designated buffer zones separating communities, several sensitive areas continue to remain under heightened security.
A new government was formed in the state in February following nearly a year of President's Rule, with representatives from the Meitei, Kuki-Zo and Naga communities included in an effort to maintain ethnic balance.