A day after a Meitei farmer was shot and a Kuki woman was killed during an exchange of fire, fresh tensions have gripped Manipur’s Bishnupur and Churachandpur districts, reviving fears of escalation in the ongoing ethnic conflict between the Meitei and Kuki communities.
The incident occurred on June 19 when Ningthoujam Biren, a Meitei farmer from Phubala in Bishnupur district, sustained a bullet injury to his left arm after being fired upon by unknown armed miscreants while working in his paddy field alongside two other farmers. The shooting triggered widespread outrage in the Meitei-majority district.
Following the attack, security forces launched a search operation in Langchingmanbi, Heichanglok, and the western belt of Phubala. According to a statement issued by Manipur Police, the forces came under fire during the operation and retaliated. In the ensuing crossfire, a woman identified as Hoikholhing, wife of the village chief of Langchingmanbi in Churachandpur district, was killed. She reportedly sustained a bullet injury and died on the spot.
“During the operation, security forces came under fire from unknown armed miscreants, and the forces retaliated accordingly. During the crossfire, one woman from Langchingmanbi village was found dead with a bullet injury,” the Manipur Police said, adding that investigations are underway and relevant cases have been registered.
The back-to-back incidents have heightened community tensions in both districts. Bishnupur residents blocked a highway on June 19, demanding the arrest of the culprits behind the farmer’s shooting. Locals also warned of an indefinite shutdown from June 20 if their demands were not met. Several Meitei civil society organisations reportedly convened meetings to discuss their next steps.
Meanwhile, in Kuki-majority Churachandpur, the Indigenous Tribal Leaders’ Forum (ITLF) enforced a complete shutdown on June 20 to protest the killing of Hoikholhing. In a statement, the ITLF condemned what it termed as “atrocity” and called for immediate action against those responsible. The organisation further demanded “concrete steps from the central government to ensure the protection of tribal lives and territory” and urged an independent investigation into what it described as repeated violations of the buffer zone.
The twin incidents have once again exposed the fragility of the current security arrangement under President’s Rule in Manipur, which was imposed on February 13, 2025. With both communities blaming each other and accusing security forces of bias or inaction, the trust deficit continues to widen.
The ethnic conflict between the Meiteis and Kukis, which erupted on May 3, 2023, has so far claimed over 250 lives and displaced more than 60,000 people. Though the central government has repeatedly stated that normalcy is being restored, recurring incidents of violence, like those seen in Bishnupur and Churachandpur, suggest otherwise.
As investigations into the latest killings continue, both districts remain tense, and calls for accountability and decisive intervention by both the state and central authorities grow louder.