3 killed in Manipur, violence spreads to district which was peaceful so far

While Thowai Kuki village falls under the jurisdiction of Ukhrul police, it comes under the revenue district of Kamjong, where Tangkhul Nagas are in majority too. While the village is not located right at the border with the neighbouring Meitei-dominated Imphal East district, it is not very far from it. Yainganpokpi in Imphal East – the area around which has seen considerable unrest and firing – is 10 kms away.

According to residents, the three persons who were killed were on village guard duty at night and had been stationed in a bunker that the community had built outside the village.

Ukhrul Superintendent of Police (SP) Ningshem Vashum also said the three were reported to have been village guards. “The incident is related to the ongoing ethnic problem in the state. Some armed miscreants entered the area and these three people who were guarding the village were shot. The firing has stopped in the area and security forces comprising the Army and police have moved in,” he said.

He said that since the village is in a remote location, the nearest security post is about 3 kms away, because of which security personnel were not present at the time.

“The incident took place early in the morning… It is suspected that valley-based insurgent groups are behind this incident. Subsequently, security forces have taken control and are in the area, taking stock of the situation,” said a defence source.

Following the incident, while the men have remained behind to guard the village, women and children have been moved out to other Kuki villages nearby.

Police said Ukhrul had not seen violence in the ongoing clashes between the state’s Meitei and Kuki-Zomi communities. The incident comes after nearly two weeks of relative calm in the state.

“There has been no violence in this area so far, which is why nobody thought this could happen. There are around 15 Kuki villages in the area but while the rest are very close to each other in a compact area, this one is a little way. The women and children have moved to these other villages now,” said Hegin Kipgen, president of the Ukhrul district unit of the Kuki Students’ Organisation, who lives about 5 kms from Thowai Kuki.

The worst affected districts in the ongoing violence in the state, which began on May 3, have been Meitei-dominated Bishnupur, Imphal West, Imphal East and Kakching, and Kuki-Zomi dominated Churachandpur and Kangpokpi.