One killed as Kuki village attacked near Myanmar border in India's Manipur

One person was killed and four others were injured after armed men attacked Chassad, a Kuki village in the Naga-dominated Kamjong district of Manipur, close to the India-Myanmar border, on Saturday afternoon.

The deceased was identified by community members as 35-year-old Seikhohao Haokip. Assam Rifles personnel rescued four injured villagers — Chassad village chief Thangjahou Haokip, Phungtha village chief Seipao Haokip, Chassad Village Authority secretary Thanggin Thouthang and Village Authority member S. Khailun Haokip — who are undergoing treatment at a paramilitary hospital. Villagers claimed the five men were ambushed by Naga extremists while repairing power lines. Neither the State government nor the police issued a statement, and district officials could not be reached for comment.

The Committee on Tribal Unity (CoTU) condemned the attack as "cowardice" and urged the government to deploy central security forces in Kuki villages along the international border. More than 50 people have died in Kuki-Naga clashes since February, with the latest surge of violence beginning October 9 claiming at least nine lives across three districts in 24 hours. Manipur has been gripped by ethnic conflict since May 2023, when clashes between the Meitei and Kuki-Zo communities killed over 260 people and displaced about 62,000 others.