Tensions in Manipur’s Kamjong district reached a boiling point this weekend following fresh violence after an armed group allegedly launched a heavy assault on Tangkhul Naga civilians at the district headquarters on Saturday, October 17.
The afternoon assault, which began at around 2:30 pm, left three civil defense volunteers with gunshot wounds and caused widespread panic among residents after armed groups opened fire on civilian settlement areas.
According to the Naga Village Guard Eastern Command, the offensive was carried out by a combined force of the Kuki National Army-Burma (KNA-B) and the Village Volunteer of Eastern Zone (VVEZ), operating out of the nearby Chassad Kuki village.
The organisation, in a statement issued late on Saturday night, described the onslaught as completely unprovoked. “The Kuki militants, in collusion with narco-terrorists, resorted to unprovoked heavy firing towards the settlement areas of Kamjong headquarters, causing deep fear and panic among the civil Tangkhul populace,” said the Naga Village Guard Eastern Command.
Outmatched by the advancing militants wielding sophisticated weaponry, local civil defense guards returned fire, successfully pushing back the assault. However, the situation escalated dramatically with the alleged intervention of security forces.
The organisation expressed shock and outrage as personnel from the 11th Assam Rifles (AR), stationed in Chassad, allegedly intervened on the side of the Kuki militants. It alleged that two Assam Rifles Casspir vehicles advanced toward the town while troops engaged in heavy firing and launched multiple stun bombs directly into residential zones. The explosions damaged several homes and properties throughout Kamjong town.
Alleging military collusion, the organisation said that the Chassad incident clearly reaffirmed the Indian paramilitary forces’ secret nexus with Kuki terror groups. “The Government of India is engaging the Kukis to wage a proxy war against the Nagas in an explicit attempt to derail the hard-earned, ongoing Indo-Naga peace process, which has been in place since 1997.”
Meanwhile, the three civil defense volunteers who sustained gunshot injuries during the crossfire have been identified as T. Chithung of Ningchou, alongside S. Malung and M. Shithung, both hailing from Bungpa Khullen. All three victims received emergency medical treatment at Kamjong Hospital and have since been stabilized.
In the wake of the violence, the Naga Village Guard Eastern Command has called on the Naga public to remain on high alert against what they termed “the scheming policy of the Indian Government and the Kuki militants based in the State of Manipur and Myanmar.”
“While we vehemently condemn the unprovoked attacks on Tangkhul Naga civilians, the Kukis are herewith warned of serious repercussions in case an incident like this is repeated in the future,” the Naga Village Guard Eastern Command warned. “Naga youths must stay alert and be ready to face our adversaries anytime and anywhere. We will never compromise in our resolute quest to protect our Land, Identity, and People.”
