In brief
A week after a federal decision to lift direct rule, fresh ethnic clashes in Manipur's Kangpokpi and Noney districts killed five people, with police reporting separate incidents involving Kuki and Naga groups. Xinhua notes that the deaths are part of a broader tribal conflict that has already claimed over 300 lives since May 2023, while a local police statement confirms five fatalities. An Instagram source reports seven civilians were killed during the same period, illustrating differing accounts of the violence.
A total of five people were killed in separate acts of ethnic violence in Manipur's Kangpokpi and Noney districts on Sunday, police officials said, echoing a report from the state’s government.
Xinhua reported that the first clash erupted in Kangpokpi after the bodies of two Kuki men who had gone missing from Taphou Kuki village in late October were recovered. Government troops used tear gas shells and baton charges to disperse the crowd, and several protesters were injured.
The second incident occurred in Noney’s Kekru Naga village when gunfire was exchanged between two armed groups, killing three Kuki men. Police remain combing the area for those responsible, while a top Kuki tribal body has blamed Naga outfits for the killings.
Evidently, this violence is part of a wider tribal contention over the inclusion of the non‑tribal Meitei community in scheduled‑tribe status; the dispute began in May 2023 and has already resulted in at least 306 deaths and 49 people reported missing, according to the local government of Manipur. The Indian federal government had imposed direct rule in February last year, lifting it only in February this year.
A local police statement corroborated Xinhua’s account, confirming five fatalities in the two incidents and the use of tear gas and baton charges.
An Instagram post from the region reports that seven civilians were killed during fresh ethnic clashes, a figure that differs from the five deaths noted by Xinhua and the police. This discrepancy highlights conflicting reports on the scale of the recent violence.
