5 Killed, 30 Houses and Shops Torched in Fresh Wave of Violence in Manipur

At least five people have been killed in renewed violence between the Naga and Kuki-Zo communities in Manipur, India, with 10 houses and 20 shops set ablaze in the Chasad area of Kamjong district. Restrictions have been imposed in several areas to bring the situation under control. The incidents of violence took place on Saturday, October 10, in Manipur’s Kamjong and Ukhrul districts. According to Indian media outlet NDTV, citing local sources, four people were killed in Kamjong district and one in Ukhrul district.

In the Chasad area, 23-year-old Michael Ngamminlen Haokip was shot dead. On the same day, 40-year-old Sandeep Rai was killed in a sudden ambush while driving near Yaolen in Ukhrul district’s TM Kasom. Earlier, around 9:40 PM on Friday, Domkhonei Touthang, a mother of five, was shot dead in the Chasad area. Additionally, around 9:30 AM on Saturday, two Naga villagers, 35-year-old Ngachanso Ningshen and 48-year-old Leishishan Leishadang, were shot dead in Ningchow village near the India-Myanmar border.

Security has been stepped up in the Chasad area following the violence. District Magistrate L.N. Kashung has imposed restrictions under Section 163 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita, 2023. Prohibitions have been placed on the gathering of five or more people, the carrying of weapons, and movement outside homes within a 400-meter radius of the Chasad police gate junction. However, security personnel, magistrates on duty, emergency service workers, and individuals with special permission are exempt from these restrictions.

Meanwhile, in protest against the killings in Chasad and attacks in several places including Yaolen in Ukhrul, the Committee on Tribal Unity (CoTU) called a 24-hour shutdown in Kangpokpi district starting at 6:00 PM on Saturday. The organization stated that emergency medical services would remain exempt from the shutdown.

The Kuki Workers’ Union has condemned the killings of Domkhonei Touthang and Michael Ngamminlen Haokip. The organization has demanded an impartial investigation into the incidents, legal action against those responsible, and a review of the relevant security measures. Long-standing ethnic tensions have persisted between the Naga and Kuki-Zo communities in Manipur. The renewed violence has raised concerns over the security situation in several areas of the state.

Source: NDTV