Imphal: Fresh violence in Manipur has left at least 11 people dead, including a woman, and several injured since Friday evening. The clashes, reported in Kamjong, Kangpokpi and Ukhrul districts, have escalated tensions in the state’s hill areas.
The unrest began in the Kuki‑majority Chassad area of Kamjong, where an alleged ambush on Indian Reserve Battalion (IRB) personnel triggered a scuffle between security forces and suspected Kuki armed group members. Protesters, mostly women, then tried to storm the IRB’s temporary station at Chassad Primary School to demand the release of detained youths. During the confrontation, 42‑year‑old Domkhonei Touthang of Chassad was caught in the crossfire and later died.
Firing continued into Saturday, killing three suspected Kuki National Army (Burma) cadres, including 22‑year‑old Michael Ngamminlen Haokip. Several houses belonging to Kuki and Tangkhul families in Chassad and the Komjong market area were burned. In nearby Ningchau village, suspected KNA(B) cadres shot dead two villagers, Ngachanso Ningshen and Leishishang Leishadang, the latter the village secretary. In Kangpokpi district, a pre‑dawn attack on Makui Asang Liangmai Naga village killed four villagers—Ajinpou Ringkangmai, Machungamang Daimai, Dibambou Ringkangmai and Kawjinbou Ringkangmai—while others were injured. A widely shared video showed suspected militants with assault rifles and a severed human head, which family members identified as Ajinpou Ringkangmai.
Another incident in Ukhrul’s Chepu Yaolen forest area saw Gorkha member Sandeep Rai killed in an ambush. While authorities say the situation is under control, tensions remain high across the affected districts.
