Two Tangkhul Naga civilians were killed and several houses set ablaze in Kamjong district following a fresh wave of violence involving the Kuki National Army–Burma (KNA-B) and the Village Volunteer of Eastern Zone (VVEZ).
In a press communiqué issued on Saturday, the TNL Working Committee said the two armed groups killed Ngachanso Ningshen and Leishisan Leishadang in a coordinated ambush on civilians at Ningchou village at around 9 am on Saturday. Both victims were civilians from Ningchou under Kamjong Sub-Division, a border village in eastern Manipur.
The committee also alleged that several residential houses were burnt and two persons suffered serious gunshot injuries in Kamjong headquarters from 10.30 pm on Friday, October 9. Two civil defence volunteers, identified as BS Honreipam of Ningthi and Ringphami Jajo of Ningchou, sustained gunshot injuries in the violence.
Friday night encounter
According to the statement, the violence began on Friday night when an Indian Reserve Battalion (IRB) team on routine patrol was fired upon by armed Kuki militants near Chassad Kuki village. It said a large crowd gathered and disrupted security personnel as they attempted to apprehend the assailants.
A heavy exchange of fire between the militants and IRB personnel then continued for more than an hour. The TNL said a woman assisting the Kuki militants was caught in the crossfire and later died of her injuries.
After the encounter, the committee alleged, the militants launched an armed offensive against Naga civilians and set fire to nine residential houses in Kamjong headquarters. It said Naga civil volunteers retaliated and stopped the advancing militants, who were reportedly armed with sophisticated weapons.
TNL demands inquiry
The TNL Working Committee condemned what it called unprovoked attacks on Tangkhul Naga civilians since Friday, which it said resulted in the deaths of two people, injuries to two others and the burning of several houses.
It described the attacks on border Naga villagers in Kamjong as “external aggression” by Kuki war parties, alleging that such incidents had become routine since the outbreak of violent conflict in the hills of Manipur.
The committee criticised the governments in Imphal and New Delhi for what it called their failure to protect citizens along the Indo-Myanmar border. It urged both governments to initiate a high-level inquiry without delay and to ensure the safety and security of people living along the porous border in Kamjong district.
