At least six people, including a Kuki woman, three suspected Kuki National Army-Burma (KNA-B) cadres and two Naga Village Guards, were reportedly killed in fresh violence in Manipur’s Kamjong district, where gunfire, arson and cross-border security concerns have triggered fresh tensions. Several houses were also reportedly burnt, prompting the district administration to impose prohibitory restrictions in Chassad.
The violence began on Friday night amid a protest by Kuki women against the alleged detention of local youths by Indian Reserve Battalion (IRB) personnel. During a confrontation between security personnel and protesters, Domkhonei Touthang, a mother of five, was reportedly shot near her neck and died around 9.40 pm. Local sources attributed the shooting to IRB personnel, but the circumstances remain unverified.
Gunfire continued overnight, with reports of at least four houses burnt initially and subsequent accounts indicating that more than 10 houses belonging to Kuki and Tangkhul families were torched. The full extent of the destruction remains unclear.
Police sources separately reported that three suspected KNA-B cadres were killed and three others injured in a gunfight in Chassad early today morning. The injured were reportedly taken to Kamjong District Hospital, although the casualties have not been confirmed through a comprehensive official statement.
Violence was also reported from Ningchou Chingdong, near the India-Myanmar border, where two Naga Village Guards were allegedly killed by suspected KNA-B cadres around 9.30 am on Saturday.
The deceased were identified as Ngachanso Ningshen, 30, son of Timothy Ningshen, and Leishishan Hungyo, 50, son of the late Khashim Hungyo, both residents of Ningchou. The attackers reportedly entered from the international border and opened fire near a bunker maintained by the village guards.
An injured guard, Stephen Jajo, 51, was rescued by a joint team of Chassad police, IRB and Border Security Force (BSF) personnel. Four suspected attackers were also reported injured, though this could not be independently verified. A BSF company was subsequently deployed at Ningchou.
Amid escalating tensions, the district administration invoked Section 163 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS), 2023, prohibiting gatherings of five or more persons within a 400-metre radius of Chassad Police Gate Junction. Restrictions on weapons and movement outside homes will remain in force until further notice.
