GUWAHATI: Twenty houses were burnt overnight as the ethnic tensions between Naga and Kuki-Zo villagers in the Litan area of Manipur’s Ukhrul district escalated.
The houses belonged to both communities. The violence occurred amid the enforcement of prohibitory orders under Section 163 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita. There are allegations about the involvement of armed Kuki groups in the violence.
“Twenty houses were burned down. Five to six houses were initially burnt but due to heavy wind, the fire quickly spread,” District Magistrate Asish Das told The New Indian Express.
The situation is tense but under control. Das said Army and paramilitary forces have remained deployed to the vulnerable areas since Sunday night. The district administration is communicating with the leaders of both communities to defuse tensions.
Deputy Chief Minister Losii Dikho and local MLA Ram Muivah visited Litan on Monday to take stock of the situation.
“The situation is under control. Leaders from both sides will soon meet and try to defuse tensions through talks and negotiations. It will take some time,” Dikho told TNIE.
The incidents of arson followed stone-pelting by people from both communities on Sunday night. During the violence, shots were allegedly also fired.
A Tangkhul (tribe) Naga man was assaulted by a group of Kuki-Zo people at Litan on Saturday night. The situation escalated on Sunday afternoon when Naga villagers approached the chief of the local Kuki village and demanded that the culprits be produced before them.
Several Naga villages in the region are now demanding action against the perpetrators of the crime. Ukhrul is a Naga-majority district.
The violence disrupted road communication between Ukhrul areas and the Imphal valley. Keeping in view the convenience of the public, the state government has scheduled one sortie of special helicopter service for Tuesday for Imphal-Ukhrul-Imphal.
The government is also working on scheduling two helicopter sorties for Wednesday on the same route. These special helicopter services are scheduled over and above the regular schedule, an official statement said.