According to Reuters, on November 1st local time, Indian police said that there have been ethnic violence incidents in Manipur, northeastern India, resulting in a total of 5 deaths in two incidents.
According to a statement by the Indian police, an exchange of fire between unidentified armed individuals occurred on October 31 in the Nooni area of Manipur state, resulting in the death of three Kukri tribesmen. The exchange of fire took place within a village in the area and lasted for several hours.
Another statement said that two men from the same community went missing earlier this week. After security forces launched a search operation, their bodies were found on the morning of November 1st.
A prominent organization of the Kuki tribe condemned this conflict as an ‘unprovoked attack’ on their homeland, and claimed that the Naga tribe is responsible for this incident.
In the mountainous regions of Manipur state in India, there are multiple ethnic groups living together, and violent conflicts between them occur from time to time. Both the Kukri and Naga ethnic groups are predominantly Christian, but they have disputes over territorial and power dynamics. In February this year, a Naga man was allegedly killed by Kukri people. In May, three Kukri priests were killed by Naga armed groups, leading to a series of retaliations.
The Kuki people have also had long-standing conflicts with the predominantly Hindu Meitei people, often engaging in violent clashes over land issues. Reports indicate that since 2023, these conflicts have resulted in over 300 deaths and displaced more than 60,000 people.
