At least nine people have been killed and 14 houses set ablaze in fresh violence across India's northeastern state of Manipur over the past 24 hours, with clashes between Kuki and Naga communities raising fears of further escalation.
According to reports by India Today and The Indian Express, the violence involved shootings, ambushes and arson in the state's hill districts. Authorities have imposed restrictions in parts of Kamjong district, while the Committee on Tribal Unity (CoTU) has called a 24-hour shutdown in Kangpokpi district.
The incidents began on Friday night near Chassad police station in Kamjong, where Domkhonei Touthang, a 42-year-old Kuki woman and mother of five, was killed during an exchange of fire involving security personnel and unidentified armed men.
Police said security forces had launched an operation to dismantle alleged illegal bunkers near the police station. The operation came amid protests over the alleged arbitrary arrest and detention of local village volunteers.
According to police, local women attempted to obstruct the operation before unidentified armed men opened fire. Security personnel retaliated, and Touthang was struck by a bullet in her upper left chest near the neck. She died at the scene.
Gunfire and arson followed, with around 14 houses belonging to members of both Kuki and Naga communities set ablaze. Miscreants also allegedly attempted to burn Chassad police station, damaging wooden shops near its entrance.
Gunfire resumed early Saturday, prompting the Kamjong district administration to prohibit gatherings within 400 metres of the police station.
Further attacks were reported in Kamjong and Kangpokpi districts. Two Naga village guards, Ngachanso Ningshen, 30, and Leishishan Hungyo, 50, were killed in an attack at Ningchou Chingdong village in Kamjong.
In Kangpokpi, Naga village volunteer Machungwangbou, 35, was killed and two others injured in an ambush between Makui and Tapok villages along the Imphal-Tamenglong road. The attack followed an earlier assault on Makui in which three Naga village guards were reportedly killed, one of them beheaded.
In another incident, Sandeep Rai, 30, was shot dead when unidentified armed men ambushed his car near Konjang village along National Highway 202 in Ukhrul district. Police have registered a case, but the motive and those responsible remain unknown.
The Kuki Women Union headquarters also alleged that 23-year-old Michael Ngamminlen Haokip was killed by cadres of the National Socialist Council of Nagalim (Isak-Muivah), or NSCN-IM, and its Eastern Flank faction. The allegation could not be independently verified.
CoTU announced a 24-hour shutdown across Kangpokpi district from 6pm on Saturday, citing attacks in Chassad, Yaolen and along the Imphal-Tamenglong road. The organisation condemned violence against civilians and urged people to maintain peace.
Meanwhile, Indian Express reported that Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi had assured assistance to restore peace in Manipur as tensions escalated.
The latest violence adds to continuing insecurity in Manipur, where ethnic tensions and armed clashes have repeatedly disrupted life across the state. Authorities are investigating the latest incidents and face mounting pressure to prevent further attacks and retaliatory violence.