Separate incidents of violence reported from Manipur’s Ukhrul and Kamjong districts have left at least six people injured, while several houses in villages located near the Indo-Myanmar border were vandalised and set on fire, according to officials. The attacks have intensified tensions in the sensitive border region and triggered fresh fears among residents already living under persistent security concerns.
In the first incident, which took place on Wednesday afternoon in Ukhrul district, a villager from Sinakeithei sustained multiple bullet injuries after suspected armed militants allegedly opened fire near the Lungter hill range at around 1 pm. Authorities said the firing created panic in the area as villagers rushed to seek safety.
According to district police officials, the injured man was identified as Chipemshang Ruiva, aged 33, who was reportedly engaged in work inside the village when the gunfire suddenly erupted. Security personnel stationed nearby immediately responded to the situation after hearing the firing.
Officials stated that personnel of the 6th Manipur Rifles retaliated against the suspected militants, resulting in an exchange of gunfire in the area. Senior police officials, including the district Superintendent of Police, later arrived at the spot to supervise security operations and bring the situation under control. The injured villager was subsequently shifted to the district hospital in Ukhrul for medical treatment.
In another and far more extensive attack that occurred early Thursday morning, armed militants allegedly targeted three Tangkhul Naga villages — Namlee, Wanglee, and Choro — located under Kasom Khullen police station in Kamjong district near the Myanmar border.
Police officials said the attack began around 3.30 am when heavily armed assailants, suspected to be Kuki militants operating from across the Indo-Myanmar border, allegedly entered the villages and launched the assault. During the violence, at least five villagers suffered injuries, while nearly 15 houses were reportedly attacked, damaged, vandalised, and later set on fire.
Authorities noted that the affected villages are situated between border pillar numbers 89 and 95 along the Indo-Myanmar border region, making them particularly vulnerable due to their remote location and proximity to cross-border militant activity. Officials said Namlee village is located around 50 kilometres from Kasom Khullen police station, while Wanglee lies nearly 18 kilometres away.
Meanwhile, Leishiyo Keishing, MLA of the Naga People's Front, described the attacks as an “external aggression” rather than a communal conflict. He alleged that Myanmar-based militants belonging to the Kuki National Army-Burma (KNA-B), allegedly supported by the People’s Defence Force (PDF), were involved in carrying out the attacks.
Referring to accounts provided by villagers, Keishing claimed that an Assam Rifles patrol had reportedly moved through the area on Wednesday evening before the attacks took place. According to him, some local residents began suspecting possible links between the movement of security personnel and the appearance of the armed attackers in the region. However, authorities have not issued any official response regarding these allegations.
The MLA further stated that most of the injured individuals belonged to the Kuki community and argued that the violence should not be interpreted as a communal clash between communities, but rather as a coordinated cross-border militant attack originating from Myanmar-based groups.
Keishing also revealed that he had earlier written to Chief Minister Yumnam Khemchand Singh on April 24, requesting the deployment of additional state security forces in the vulnerable border villages after receiving apprehensions about possible militant attacks in the area.
Speaking on the broader issue, the MLA stated that fencing along the Indo-Myanmar border alone would not solve the deeper tensions and argued that resolving the long-standing border dispute between the two countries should be prioritised by both governments.
A working committee representing the Tangkhul Naga community also strongly condemned the attacks. In its statement, the committee alleged that militants linked to KNA-B and backed by the PDF used drones to drop explosives during the assault. The committee further claimed that armed men looted villagers, destroyed homes, and set houses ablaze, worsening fear and insecurity among local residents.
According to the committee, the attacks triggered panic across the affected villages, forcing women, children, and elderly residents to flee into nearby forests for safety. Some villagers were still reported missing following the violence, raising additional concerns among authorities and community leaders.
Official records maintained by the Kamjong district administration and dated May 7, 2024, reportedly showed that more than 1,500 refugees from Myanmar had already been taking shelter in Choro, Namlee, and Wanglee villages, making the region even more sensitive amid the continuing instability along the border.
Meanwhile, the Kuki National Army-Burma (KNA-B), in a separate statement issued after the incidents, denied any involvement in the attacks carried out on Indian territory.
