Manipur unrest intensified on Wednesday after protests over the killing of three Meitei firewood collectors in Kangpokpi district coincided with an alleged arson attack in a Kuki village in Kamjong, prompting police action in Imphal and the deployment of security forces in the affected district.
Police fired tear-gas shells at Imphal’s Khuman Lampak area after a large group of women protesters tried to enter the Khuman Lampak Sports Complex, where Chief Minister Y Khemchand Singh and Home Minister Govindas Konthoujam were attending the first Manipur State Poomsae Taekwondo Championship. At least three protesters were injured, according to the report.
The demonstrators questioned the leaders’ decision to attend a sports event while the state remained in crisis. Their protest followed the killing of three Meitei firewood collectors, who were shot dead in Kangpokpi district on Monday morning.
Police also used tear gas at Khurai to disperse demonstrators supporting a 48-hour bandh called by the Native People Committee Manipur. The shutdown was organised to protest the killings and added to tensions in the state capital.
In Kamjong district, the Kuki Civil Society Organisations Working Committee alleged that members of the NSCN-IM and allied groups had set fire to several houses in Khoikai village. The committee sought additional security forces, action against those who planned and financed the attack, and emergency relief for residents displaced by the alleged arson. No casualties were reported in the village incident.
A joint column of the Assam Rifles, Border Security Force and Kamjong Police was deployed in the area. Deputy Chief Minister Nemcha Kipgen condemned the incident and described it as an “intolerable crime”. The report did not provide details of the extent of property damage or the number of people displaced.
The response to the arrests linked to Monday’s killings also remained contested. Police said three arrested individuals were active cadres of the Kuki National Front (N) and had allegedly carried out the killings. The Chingdai Area Core Committee, a Kuki citizens’ group, rejected that account, calling the police statement “misleading” and demanding the immediate and unconditional release of the three men.
The committee said the arrested individuals had no links to militant groups and accused the authorities of making “innocents into criminals”. The KNF(N), which is outside the Suspension of Operations framework, separately denied involvement in incidents connected to the Meitei-Kuki or Kuki-Naga conflicts. It also denied any affiliation with Kuki-Zo Village Volunteers.
The developments leave authorities managing simultaneous pressures in the state capital and in vulnerable rural settlements. The immediate official response consists of crowd-control measures in Imphal, security deployment in Kamjong, investigation into the killings and demands for relief for residents affected by the alleged attack.
