In a troubling escalation of violence in Manipur, an armed group shot and killed a private electric lineman in the Tamenglong district early Wednesday morning. This incident was followed by the destruction of at least 24 houses in two villages located in the neighboring Kangpokpi district, which occurred a few hours later, according to local officials. The ongoing unrest in the region continues to impact communities, raising concerns about safety and stability.
Meanwhile, unknown armed people set ablaze two Naga villages, Makui Khuman and Makui Thanamba/Chamruioiu, under the jurisdiction of Chalwa police station. The 36-year-old lineman, Paojangam Chongloi, from Wakotphai village (Kuki village), was repairing a 33 KV power line at Lasan village under Tamei police station around 4am when unidentified armed men allegedly shot him, police said. Later, around 5am, unidentified armed men allegedly attacked and set fire to Makui Khuman and Makui Thanamba/Chamruioiu villages under Chalwa police station in Kangpokpi district, reducing around 24 houses to ashes, officials said. The two villages are located around 15 km northeast of the police station, an official said.
“As my police team are not able to reach the spot, we have requested Kangpokpi police to conduct spot investigation and other necessary legal steps,” the officer-in-charge of Tamei police station told HT.
The ethnic clashes in Manipur first began between the Meitei and Kuki communities before involving almost every community. The Meiteis, mostly Hindu, live largely in the Imphal Valley. The Kukis, predominantly Christian, reside in the hills. The state government has maintained that there are no buffer zones dividing communities in the state, but it has identified certain sensitive areas. A new government was formed in February, nearly a year after the imposition of President’s Rule. It includes representatives from all three major communities as part of an attempt to maintain ethnic balance.
The villages are located around 2-3 km apart. The two villages have around 12 households each. Since the Kuki-Naga clash, all the residents have been displaced and are taking shelter at Makui Khunjao, located around 12 km from the two villages. Thanggunhao Hangshing, secretary of a local body of Wakotphai village, lodged a written complaint against cadres of the National Socialist Council of Nagaland (NSCN) Issac Muivah faction at Tamei police station regarding the killing of the 36-year-old electric lineman on the same day. On Monday, a 17-year-old boy belonging to the Naga community was shot dead by unknown miscreants at Tamei in Tamenglong district. The Naga-Kuki tensions intensified following the twin ambushes on May 13 that left four people, including three church leaders, dead. In the aftermath of the ambushes, 48 people were taken hostage, triggering protests, shutdowns, and a blockade along all three national highways in the state. The state’s Meitei and Kuki-Zo communities have shut each other out from the areas they dominate since the ethnic clashes began in May 2023, leaving at least 260 people dead and displacing 60,000.
Who requested anonymity, the incident reportedly occurred around 5am when an unknown armed group attacked and set fire to the two villages one after another, according to a villager of Makui Khuman. “When we reached our village, all the houses of both the villages had been reduced to ashes,” one of them said, adding, “No security forces have been deployed in the two villages.
