Four people, including two women, were killed on Friday when suspected militants fired at two vehicles in the New Heaven area on the Imphal-Ukhrul road in Manipur’s Ukhrul district, police said. The latest flare-up of violence has claimed at least 306 lives since ethnic clashes erupted between the Meitei and Kuki communities in May 2023, with a ‘Commission of Inquiry’ continuing to examine the adequacy of administrative measures and any failures in duty amid ongoing tensions that have also killed at least 50 in Kuki-Naga clashes in the hills since February.
The incident took place a day after a 42-year-old Kuki woman was shot dead in a separate incident of violence. On the same day as that killing, two men were injured in a gunfight between rival groups in an area near Taphou Kuki village in Kangpokpi district and Kailengjang in the neighbouring Senapati district. The string of attacks in the hill districts of the state is a stark reminder of the very fragile security situation prevailing in the state.
The wider ethnic conflict which broke out in May 2023 between the Meitei community of the valley and the Kuki community of the hills has already resulted in the deaths of at least 306 people.
49 are still missing, and thousands have been forced from their homes. Houses and properties have been set alight in large numbers, and the conflict has destroyed many homes. The situation has left many people without shelter and has further entrenched divisions in the state.
In the hill areas, there’s also been a spate of violence between the Kukis and the Nagas, with at least 50 killed in clashes between the two groups since February this year. The confluence of these conflicts has made it difficult for security forces to re-establish order, and there are real fears of further violence.
A commission of inquiry set up by the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) is looking into the circumstances which led to the widespread violence. The MHA notification of 4th June 2023 states that the violence began on 3rd May 2023 and resulted in many deaths, many injuries and the burning of homes, which has left many people homeless.
The Commission will consider whether any officials or individuals have failed in their duties.
It will also consider whether the administrative measures taken to prevent and deal with the violence and riots were adequate, and it will take into account all complaints and allegations made by individuals and associations. In its final extension, the MHA has given the commission until 20th May to submit its report. The inquiry is ongoing in the context of sporadic attacks continuing to occur, the most recent being the ambush in Ukhrul, which has resulted in the deaths of four people.
The security forces are on high alert as the state continues to struggle with the long-term impact of a conflict, which has led to mass displacement, a deepening of inter-ethnic tensions.