GUWAHATI: In the continuing Kuki-Naga violence in Manipur’s Ukhrul district, three persons were killed and several others injured on Friday.
Two of the deceased were from the Kuki community, while the third was a Tangkhul Naga.
The Kuki Organisation for Human Rights Trust condemned an early morning attack on Mullam and Shongphal Kuki villages, allegedly carried out by armed Tangkhul Naga men while “unarmed civilians were asleep in their homes”.
It said two Kuki village volunteers were killed, several others, including women and children, were injured, and two houses were set ablaze.
“The villagers, exercising their lawful right to self-defence with licenced hunting arms, bravely repulsed the attack and neutralised one of the armed assailants in the process,” the organisation said in a statement.
The Naga Village Guard, Central Command, rejected the allegations that Tangkhul Naga volunteers attacked Mullam village. It said its personnel were on patrol duty following repeated attacks on Sinakeithei village and reports of movement by Kuki armed cadres under the Suspension of Operation (SoO) agreement.
It further stated that during the patrol, Kuki armed cadres under SoO opened fire, killing a 29-year-old Naga village volunteer and injuring four others, which was followed by a retaliatory exchange.
The Working Committee of Tangkhul Naga Long said the Naga Village Guards were ambushed by Kuki rebels under SoO while patrolling between Sirakhong and Sinakeithei.
There have been a series of clashes in recent times in parts of Ukhrul district involving armed men from both communities, leaving several dead and houses torched.
Manipur Chief Minister Yumnam Khemchand Singh had recently visited several villages in the district in an attempt to reduce tensions and rebuild trust between the Kuki and Tangkhul Naga communities. However, violence has continued despite these efforts.