Village torched in Manipur as fresh Naga-Kuki tensions erupt near border areas

TEnsions escalated in Manipur’s Kamjong territory on wed after unidentified miscreants allegedly go down aroused the deserted chin village of Phaimol, destroying all houses but sparing the village church, while security forces thwarted a retaliatory attempt to torch the nearby Tangkhul Naga village of Shangkhalok, officials said.According to the police, the incident occurred around 12.30pm when unknown miscreants entered Phaimol village, located about 45km northeast of Chassad police station near Indo-Myanmar border pillar number 113, and set it on fire.Authorities said the residents of Phaimol had already vacated the village and were taking shelter at Aishi village, where an Assam Rifles camp is located.The fire destroyed 15 houses in Phaimol, while the village church remained untouched.In retaliation, another unidentified group entered Shangkhalok Tangkhul village, located near Indo-Myanmar border pillar number 101, at around 1.45pm and attempted to set it on fire. Security forces intervened in time, preventing extensive damage, the police said.“In the incident, some small thatch houses belonging to Burmese refugees and a few houses belonging to the Tangkhul community have been completely gutted. Seven houses of Tangkhul Naga were partially burnt yet saved and seven to eight houses remained untouched. Another seven houses at Huimine Thana (Tangkhul village, between Shangkhalok and Phaikoh) also burnt down to ashes,” the police said.Officials said no casualties were reported. Police have registered a suo motu case at the concerned police station.The fresh violence comes amid rising tensions between Naga and Kuki communities following the May 13 twin ambushes in Noney and Kangpokpi districts in which three church leaders and a Naga man were killed.Following the recovery of six mutilated Naga civilians, Naga organisations have intensified protests demanding action against those responsible, including blockades on National Highways.The six victims were among 48 people allegedly abducted and held hostage by Kuki and Naga groups in the aftermath of the May 13 attacks. While all Kuki hostages and 14 Naga civilians were released after nearly a month, the bodies of the remaining six Nagas were recovered on June 10 near Kharam Vaiphei in Kangpokpi district. They were reportedly abducted from Leilon village, located near Kharam Vaiphei.In a separate statement, the Kuki Inpi Manipur (KIM), the apex Kuki civil body, condemned the burning of Phaimol village and alleged that the attack was carried out “by armed cadres of the Tangkhul-led NSCN-IM and the Shanni Nationalities Army (SNA), an armed group operating from Myanmar”.“The repeated involvement of the SNA also highlights a grave national security concern. Cross-border terrorism cannot be treated merely as a local law-and-order issue. The Government of India must adopt stronger border management measures and engage the Government of Myanmar to ensure that Indian territory is not repeatedly targeted by armed groups operating from across the border,” KIM said.Meanwhile, the Eastern Command Naga Village Guard alleged in a separate statement that Kuki militants attacked Huimin Thana and Nampisha’s Kherongram villages along the Indo-Myanmar border in Kamjong district and set 25 houses on fire.“As per the eye witnesses, as many as 20 Kukis armed with sophisticated weapons crossed over the Namya River from Phaikoh village situated at Border Pillar 102 and launched a targeted violent offensive against the Naga settlements,” the statement said.It further alleged that while villagers managed to flee, 13 houses at Kherongram and seven at Huimin Thana were reduced to ashes. In addition, around 20 camps established in Kherongram in 2023, which were sheltering 365 Burmese refugees displaced by the political unrest in Myanmar, were completely destroyed.The group claimed the attacks on the Naga settlements occurred minutes after about 20 abandoned houses in Phaimol village were deliberately set ablaze at around 1.30pm.