In brief
Clashes on Sunday and Saturday in Manipur’s Kangpokpi and Noney districts resulted in five deaths, Xinhua reported. The first incident involved tear gas and baton charges after the recoveries of two missing Kuki men, while the second saw a gun‑fire exchange that killed three Kuki men. A top Kuki tribal body blamed Naga outfits, but the claim remains unverified.
On Sunday and Saturday, fresh clashes erupted in Manipur's Kangpokpi and Noney districts, killing five people, Xinhua and police reports shared by Hiru News English said.
According to Xinhua, the Kangpokpi violence started when the bodies of two Kuki men who had gone missing from Taphou Kuki village on Oct. 28 were recovered, prompting an agitated crowd. Government forces responded with tear‑gas shelling and baton charges, and several protesters were reportedly injured.
The second incident, reported by local police, took place at Kekru Naga village in Noney on Saturday. Three Kuki men were killed in an exchange of gunfire between two armed groups. Police are conducting an extensive search and combing operation to identify the people responsible.
A top Kuki tribal body has blamed Naga outfits for the killings, a claim that Xinhua records as unverified and that has not been corroborated by independent witnesses.
Manipur has been on edge since May 3, 2023, when large‑scale violence erupted during a tribal protest over the inclusion of the non‑tribal Meitei community for scheduled‑tribe status. Since then, the state’s local government has counted at least 306 deaths and 49 missing persons linked to the conflict.
India’s federal government had imposed direct rule in 2025 but lifted it in February 2026. The continued violence underscores the fragile nature of the region’s inter‑tribal dynamics.
