Manipur violence: Fresh outbreak between Meitei and Kuki groups surfaces after 26 days , 1 killed

Manipur witnessed a fresh outbreak of violence on Saturday between Meitei and Kuki groups in the Kangpokpi district in which a Meitei man was killed. Another strife involved Manipur police commandos and militants in which one commando sustained bullet injuries in the border town of Moreh.

These two incidents surfaced around 26 days since the last major incident of unrest in the area. The previous strife that took place on December 4 in Tengnoupal district witnessed the death of 13 people.

Also read: Manipur news: Fresh violence leaves 13 dead in gunfight near Myanmar border

Senior police officials informed that on Saturday morning around 3:30 am there was an exchange of fire between village defence volunteers of the Kuki and Meitei communities. The officer said, “This took place between the hill ranges of Nakhujang and Singda Kuki villages under Kangchup police station. The exchange of fire lasted till around 4:20am,” reported HT.

The victim who sustained injuries in the firing was identified as Ningombam James, a resident of Imphal West. He was rushed to Jawaharlal Nehru Institute of Medical Sciences (JNIMS) in Imphal where he succumbed to his injuries. A Kuki organisation active in Kangpokpi called Committee on Tribal Unity (COTU) said that the clash began over the protection of forestland after Meitei youths allegedly cut firewood in a forest located close to a Kuki village.

Also read: Police recover dead bodies with bullet wounds in violence-hit Manipur, one was blindfolded with tied hands

A COTU officer said, “When Kuki village volunteers went for patrolling in the area this morning, they were fired upon by armed youths from Imphal Valley who had trespassed the buffer zones (between Meitei-dominated and Kuki-dominated areas). The exchange of fire took place for nearly an hour,” reported HT.

Another incident that surfaced on the same day at around 3:40 pm involved strife between Manipur police commandos and militants. A convoy of Manipur police commandos was attacked in the strife where unidentified militants also threw explosives at the convoy, on the Imphal-Moreh highway near the border with Myanmar. This incident injured one commando. The unidentified militants threw explosives at the convoy. However, there were no fatalities.

Also read: Manipur Violence: Gunmen target police commandos in Moreh

A police officer said, “The firing between militants and Manipur police commandos continued from 3:45 pm to 5:30 pm. One commando sustained injuries and was rushed to the hospital. “ He added, ”We have been told that bombs and explosives were thrown at the convoy from the jungle side on the hills. There is heavy security in Moreh,” reported HT.

Manipur police later confirmed both of these incidents in a post on social media platform X (formerly Twitter).