New Delhi: Nearly two dozen houses and four government quarters were set ablaze in Litan Sareikhong village in Manipur’s Ukhrul district late Sunday evening, following an alleged assault on a Tangkhul Naga man.
Both Naga and Kuki villagers have claimed that their houses were attacked and torched.
“It started as a drunken brawl between two groups and soon escalated into the torching of houses. Almost 25 houses and four government quarters were burnt down,” a senior police official, who did not wish to be named, told ThePrint. A purported video of the incident is being circulated on social media, showing armed men setting houses and vehicles on fire.
The violence forced residents to flee their homes in trucks and private vehicles.
The Manipur government has issued a circular stating that one helicopter sortie has been arranged for 10 February on the Imphal–Ukhrul–Imphal route. “Further, the government is also working on scheduling two helicopter sorties on Wednesday, 11 February, for the Imphal–Ukhrul–Imphal route,” the circular said. Soon after the incident, security personnel were deployed in Mahadev, Lambui, Shangkai and Litan to prevent any further untoward activity. Security forces also resorted to tear gas to disperse the clashing groups.
“Some 4-5 Kuki men slapped the Tangkhul Naga man after his torchlight accidentally fell on their eyes. They broke his bones and left him in a pool of blood,” a member of the United Naga Council (UNC) said over the phone Monday, requesting anonymity. Soon after, Naga villagers came out in defence of the victim, following which several houses were torched. In retaliation, a few houses belonging to Kuki villagers were also set ablaze.
Ukhrul district has been the ancestral home of the Tangkhul Nagas—the largest Naga tribe in Manipur. Since the ethnic conflict between Meiteis and Kukis first erupted in Manipur in May 2023, Nagas have largely kept away from the violence.
This was the second such incident in two months between Nagas and Kukis. Last month, several houses and farmhouses in Manipur’s Kangpokpi district were torched allegedly by the Zeliangrong United Front (ZUF), a Naga insurgent group. It claimed responsibility and alleged that the houses and farmhouses were being used by illicit poppy cultivators.
The Nagas and Kukis were embroiled in an ethnic conflict in the 1990s, considered one of the longest in the region. The conflict lasted nearly six years and was largely driven by land disputes. It left hundreds dead and displaced thousands. Though peace was eventually brokered, relations between the two communities have since remained tense.
Meanwhile, the Kuki Students’ Organisation (KSO) and the Kuki-Zo Council condemned the incident in Litan Sareikhong, describing it as an altercation between intoxicated individuals that spiralled out of control.
“The incident originated from a minor altercation involving a few intoxicated individuals from both villages. The village authority of Litan Sareikhong is in consultation with the family members of the injured person,” read a statement issued Sunday by the KSO, Ukhrul district.
Ginza Vualzong, spokesperson of the Kuki-Zo Council, told ThePrint Monday over the phone that the house of a Kuki youth was set ablaze, forcing members of the community to retaliate. He also said Tangkhul civil society organisations were present at talks between representatives of both communities, along with the Inspector General (IG), Superintendent of Police (SP), and representatives of the armed forces.
“The incident reportedly involved a tussle between two individuals from the respective villages and was initially taken up at the village head level for resolution. While the matter was being addressed through the village heads and families concerned, a group of Tangkhul individuals allegedly attacked the house of the Kuki boy, escalating the situation,” he said.
(Edited by Amrtansh Arora)
Initially we were led to believe the conflict in Manipur was of a religious nature, between Meiti Hindus and Kuki Christians (I even remember EU heads of state condemning the violence with atleast the Croatian dude explicitly making it about the Kuki’s Christian faith). Now with both Thangkhuls and Kukis believing in the same imaginary invisible guy, one can’t help but think if it’s just plain old gangsterism. I’m also curious about what these sanctimonious EU folk think now. With Kukis being the common factor, could it be that they’re just a bunch of violent goons or would that be a bigoted thing to say because they’re not Hindus?