Source : INDIA TODAY NEWS
At least nine people were killed, and 14 houses set ablaze in a series of violent incidents across Manipur’s hill districts over the past 24 hours, triggering fresh tensions between Kuki and Naga communities. The violence, involving shootings, ambushes and arson, prompted the Committee on Tribal Unity (CoTU) to call a 24-hour shutdown in Kangpokpi district from 6 pm on Saturday.
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The victims included a Kuki woman killed during an exchange of fire in Kamjong district, Naga village guards killed in separate attacks in Kamjong and Kangpokpi, and a civilian shot dead in an ambush in Ukhrul district.
Authorities have imposed restrictions in parts of Kamjong, while investigations into the separate incidents are underway.
The violence began on Friday night near Chassad police station in Kamjong district, where 42-year-old Domkhonei Touthang, a Kuki woman and mother of five, were killed during an exchange of fire.
According to police, security personnel from the civil police, India Reserve Battalion and Border Security Force had launched an operation to dismantle alleged illegal bunkers near the police station.
During the operation, local women allegedly attempted to obstruct the security forces, following which unidentified armed men opened fire. Security personnel retaliated, and Touthang sustained a bullet injury to her upper left chest near the neck. She died on the spot.
The incident occurred around 9.35 pm on October 9 amid protests over the alleged arbitrary arrest and detention of Chassad village volunteers.
The killing was followed by further gunfire and arson, with at least 14 houses belonging to members of both communities set ablaze. Miscreants also allegedly attempted to burn Chassad police station, damaging wooden shops near its entrance.
Gunfire resumed around 5 am on Saturday and continued until approximately 7 am. The Kamjong district administration subsequently prohibited gatherings within a 400-metre radius of Chassad police station.
The Kuki Women Union headquarters also claimed that 23-year-old Michael Ngamminlen Haokip had been shot dead, allegedly by cadres of the National Socialist Council of Nagalim (Isak-Muivah), or NSCN-IM, and its Eastern Flank faction. The allegation could not be independently verified.
In another attack, two Naga village guards, Ngachanso Ningshen, 30, and Leishishan Hungyo, 50, were killed at Ningchou Chingdong village in Kamjong district around 9.30 am on Saturday.
A senior police officer indicated that armed groups operating across the India-Myanmar border might have been involved, although there was no official confirmation.
In Kangpokpi district, Naga village volunteers were targeted in separate attacks. A volunteer, Machungwangbou, 35, was killed and two others injured in an ambush between Makui and Tapok villages along the Imphal-Tamenglong road around 6 am.
The attack followed an earlier assault on Makui, where three Naga village guards were reportedly killed, including one victim who was beheaded.
Meanwhile, Sandeep Rai, 30, was killed when unidentified armed assailants ambushed his car near Konjang village along National Highway 202 in Ukhrul district around 5.30 am.
Police have registered a case, but the motive and those responsible remain unknown.
In response, CoTU announced a total shutdown across Kangpokpi district from 6 pm on Saturday, citing attacks in Chassad, Yaolen and along the IT Road.
The organisation condemned violence and intimidation against civilians and urged people to maintain peace.
With multiple killings and arson incidents reported within a day, tensions remain high across Manipur’s hill districts. Security measures and investigations are continuing, while authorities face the challenge of preventing further retaliatory violence between the communities.
– Ends
SOURCE :- TIMES OF INDIA
