Imphal/New Delhi: Three people were killed in separate incidents of gunfights in Manipur's Ukhrul district, and houses were set on fire in a village which has seen tension between the Kuki and Tangkhul Naga tribes in the border state. The civil society organisations of both tribes have blamed each other in statements.
The security forces found two bodies at 11.25 am today, police sources said, adding the men wore camouflage clothes. Kuki civil society organisations in statements alleged that suspected Naga insurgents launched a pre-dawn attack on the Kuki villages of Mullam and Shongphal in Ukhrul today. The two who were killed were "village volunteers", and many people including women and children were injured in the attack, the Kuki organisations said.
The Kuki Organisation for Human Rights Trust (KOHUR) said the assault happened at 5.30 am when the villagers were asleep. The attackers allegedly opened fire and burned many houses, KOHUR, which is pursuing the tapes case against former chief minister N Biren Singh, said in the statement.
Naga tribe organisations have denied the allegations as malicious, coming a day after silent candlelight marches were held in Ukhrul and other places to demand justice for two men from their tribe who were killed in an ambush on a highway last week.
The Working Committee of the Tangkhul Naga Long (TNL) in a statement today said a 29-year-old village volunteer, Horshokmi Jamang, was killed this morning near Sinakeithei in Ukhrul district.
The TNL alleged the volunteer was ambushed by Kuki insurgents who are under the suspension of operations (SoO) agreement, along with other insurgents while on patrol to check for suspicious movement in the area.
Villagers reported hearing the sound of gunfire around midnight first, adding the firing resumed at 5 am and continued for some time, leading to panic in the area.
The Mulam Village Authority called the attack a serious escalation, and cited incidents in recent days including the firing at farmers on April 19 and 21, which have created an atmosphere of fear and intimidation.
The highway ambush last week came after two children - a five-year-old boy and a five-month-old baby - from the Meitei community were killed in a bomb attack while asleep at their house in Bishnupur district. The killings - amid the Yumnam Khemchand government's bid to bring peace and normalcy - had sparked massive protests in the valley districts, with residents demanding justice and arrest of the accused. The police had said three United Kuki National Army (UKNA) insurgents have been arrested in combing operations following the bomb attack in Bishnupur.
The Kuki-Naga conflict that began in 1992 and lasted six years had taken the lives of over 1,000 people. The 2023 Kuki-Meitei violence has claimed over 260 lives.
