At least 10 people, including three security personnel, were injured in Imphal West on Thursday when security forces tried to disperse a protest rally organised to seek justice for six Naga tribals allegedly abducted and killed by suspected Kuki militants.
Police officers said that while hundreds of protesters from the Naga and Meitei communities staged a sit-in at Namdilong Naga village in Imphal West district, another group under the aegis of the United Naga Council (UNC), the apex Naga body, took out a rally along National Highway-2 (Imphal-Dimapur) from Kanglatongbi Bazar towards Namdilong Naga village, demanding justice for the six Nagas.
Tension escalated when the security forces attempted to block the rally and disperse people. “To control the protesters, security forces assorted to several tear gas shells and mock bombs, in retaliation protesters also pelted stones and shot slingshots towards security forces,” a police officer said.
“At least 10 people, including three security personnel, sustained injuries during the clash,” the officer said.
The injured were taken to a hospital in Imphal as tension remains high in the Namdilong area between security forces and protesters.
The six were among 20 Nagas abducted in Leilon Vaiphei village in the aftermath of a twin ambush in Kangpokpi and Noney districts that left four people, including three church leaders, dead. On the same evening, Nagas abducted 28 Kukis. Fourteen Nagas and Kukis each were released on May 15. Fourteen Kukis were freed on June 9, unharmed. Mutilated bodies of six Nagas were found the next day.
Naga-Kuki tensions have escalated since the May 13 twin ambush.
The Manipur government handed over the case to the National Investigation Agency (NIA), and as part of the investigation, the agency has arrested four individuals, including a couple, in two separate operations. All four are residents of Leilon Vaiphei village, where the Nagas were allegedly abducted.
The Naga group, among its key demands, has been demanding the arrest of all the culprits involved in the killing of the six Nagas and the abrogation of the ‘suspension of operation’ with Kuki militants.
The Liangmai Naga Council, Manipur (LNC-M) condemned what it described as the “indiscriminate use of tear gas and excessive force” against peaceful protesters. In a statement, the council alleged that the action against the protesters was disproportionate and called for the immediate release of detained villagers.
The council also demanded an impartial investigation into the incident and the identification and prosecution of those responsible for the alleged killings and the injuries sustained during Thursday’s protest.
It further called on the authorities to ensure adequate medical assistance for the injured and accountability under applicable provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS).
The council said it would continue its democratic agitation until the demands raised under the United Naga Council (UNC) charter were addressed.
The ethnic clashes in Manipur first began between the Meitei and Kuki communities before involving almost every community. The state’s Meitei and Kuki-Zo communities have shut each other out of the areas they dominate since ethnic clashes began in May 2023, leaving at least 260 people dead and displacing 60,000.
The Meiteis, mostly Hindu, live largely in the Imphal valley. The Kukis, predominantly Christian, reside in the hills. The state government has maintained that there are no buffer zones dividing communities in the state, but it has identified certain sensitive areas.
A new government was formed in February, nearly a year after the imposition of President’s Rule. It includes representatives from all three major communities as part of an attempt to maintain ethnic balance.