Armed Groups Clash on Kuki-Naga Village Border in Manipur; Three Hospitalised Amid Protests

Days after six bodies of Naga hostages were recovered, new firing incident in Manipur's Kangpokpi district has injured three Kuki youths, reigniting fears of escalating inter-community violence and renewed calls for political resolution to the prolonged crisis.

The Wire Staff

armed groups clash on kuki naga village border in manipur three hospitalised amid protests

Representative image of Imphal police personnel, Photo: PTI.

New Delhi: Three Kuki community members were injured in a reported firing incident between two armed groups in Manipur's Kangpokpi district on Monday (June 15). The injured – identified as Genlenmang Vaiphei (18), Lunliandaw Vaiphei (20), and Paogou Lal (18) – were brought to the Regional Institute of Medical Sciences (RIMS), Imphal, for treatment amid tight security, reported India Today.

According to Hindustan Times, the encounter took place at 6 am in the border region between the Leilon Vaiphei and Konsakhul villages, which are Kuki and Naga-majority villages respectively. As per witness statements from the Konsakhul village, the residents were working in a paddy field when armed groups reportedly opened fire on them. The Naga Village Guard (NVG) was altered of the gunfire, following which it retaliated.

Around 6:40 am, security forces from the 158 and 112 Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) companies intervened, evacuating the three injured individuals to the 183 Military Hospital at Leimakhong for first aid, before shifting them to RIMS. After news spread that the injured had been admitted at the hospital, a group of protestors gathered in front of the complex to object the admission, alleging the injured youths were militants.

According to official accounts, the demonstrators questioned the heightened security arrangements, demanding whether ordinary citizens would be afforded similar measures while travelling through the Kuki-majority areas of Kangpokpi district. Security forces reportedly fired several rounds of tear gas shells and resorted to using batons on the protestors after they attempted to enter the hospital complex, causing the gathering to disperse, reported HT.

Security has been reinforced and authorities are closely monitoring the situation to prevent any further escalation. The circumstances surrounding the firing and the identities of those involves have not yet been confirmed. The Manipur police and district authorities have not commented on the incident so far, according to India Today.

Meanwhile, the Kuki Zo Council, while condemning the gunfire, accused the National Socialist Council of Nagaland-Issac Muivah (NSCN-IM) and Zeliangrong United Front-Kamson ( ZUF-K) factions. The apex body reiterated its demand for a "separate administration" as a political solution, reported HT.

The president of the All Naga Students' Association Manipur (ANSAM), Th Angteshang Maring, rebuked the security forces' decision of escorting the injured to RIMS amid ongoing tensions, reported Eastern Mirror. "When the situation is tense, why are they bringing them here? This is against the sentiment of the people," he said.

The encounter comes days after six mutilated bodies of Naga hostages, who were captured by Kuki militants last month, were discovered by security forces. As per the Eastern Mirror report, the president of the Naga Women Union Manipur, Priscilla Thiumai, reminded that the bodies were "still lying at the mortuary," adding that justice should be administered at the earliest.

This article went live on June sixteenth, two thousand twenty six, at forty-seven minutes past eleven in the morning.

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