Imphal: Five Naga villages in Manipur’s Noney and Kangpokpi districts were targeted in a series of armed attacks early Wednesday morning.
The attacks involved heavy gunfire and arson, with several houses and other properties destroyed. Hundreds of residents were forced to flee into nearby forests. According to a statement from the Makui Chamriupiu village authority, heavy gunfire began around 5 am.
The village body alleged that armed cadres of the Kuki National Front-Progressive (KNF-P), Kuki National Front-Nehlun (KNF-N) and Kuki Revolutionary Army (KRA) carried out the attacks. It alleged that the attackers set fire to ancestral homes and other properties.
The affected settlements were Makui Chamriupiu, Langka and Thanamba in Kangpokpi district, and Tazeikaiphun Part 3 and Kapningching Mukti Part 5 in Noney district.
The village authority accused state officials of failing to protect the area despite receiving prior warnings about the security situation. It also questioned the ongoing Suspension of Operations (SoO) agreement and said the agreement should not protect groups that violate its ground rules.
The village body demanded that the SoO agreement with the three groups be revoked. It also sought permanent deployment of central security forces in the border areas, compensation for displaced families and a time-bound investigation into the attacks. It called for the perpetrators to be prosecuted.
The village authority also appealed to the Prime Minister, Union Home Minister and Manipur Chief Minister to intervene.
In Noney district, police officials confirmed separate attacks by suspected Kuki militants under the jurisdiction of Nungba Police Station. Three to four houses were burned down at Kapningching Mukti Part 5.
At Tazeikaiphun Part 3, along National Highway-37, a village bunker came under fire at around 6:30 am. The attack led to a two-hour gun battle between local village guards, who used licensed firearms, and the armed attackers.
Assam Rifles and state police personnel later secured the area. Preliminary reports said no villagers were killed or injured in the incident. A final assessment of the property damage is awaited.
After the gun battle, Tazeikaiphun residents alleged that some spent ammunition recovered from the site carried headstamp markings linked to Indian state-owned ordnance facilities.
The villagers claimed the markings included “KF”, associated with Ammunition Factory Khadki, and “OFV”, associated with Ordnance Factory Varangaon.
The villagers questioned how ammunition manufactured at state-owned facilities reached non-state actors. Officials said the recovered materials would undergo forensic examination as part of the investigation.