Fresh Naga-Kuki Violence Leaves Three Dead, Five Injured In Manipur’s Ukhrul

At least three persons were killed and another five injured in separate gunfights, reportedly between Naga and Kuki groups, in Manipur’s Ukhrul district on Friday (April 24, 2026).

Reports reaching New Delhi suggested several houses on both sides of the communal divide were set on fire in a village in the border state.

Civil society organisations of both Kukis and Nagas blamed each other for the violence, in separate statements issued after the killings.

Indian security forces found two bodies, as they also noticed men wearing camouflage moving around in the affected region.

Kuki civil society organisations in statements alleged that suspected Naga insurgents launched a pre-dawn attack on the Kuki villages of Mullam and Shongphal in Ukhrul. The two killed were “village volunteers”, and many people, including women and children, were injured in the attack, the Kuki organisations said.

The Kuki Organisation for Human Rights Trust (KOHUR) said the assault happened early in the morning when the villagers were asleep. The attackers allegedly opened fire and burned many houses, KOHUR, which is pursuing a case against former chief minister N Biren Singh, said in the statement.

Naga tribe organisations have denied the allegations as malicious, coming a day after silent candlelight marches were held in Ukhrul and other places to demand justice for two men from their tribe who were killed in an ambush on a highway last week.

The Working Committee of the Tangkhul Naga Long (TNL) in a statement said a 29-year-old village volunteer, Horshokmi Jamang, was killed near Sinakeithei in Ukhrul district.

The TNL alleged the volunteer was ambushed by Kuki insurgents who are under the suspension of operations (SoO) agreement, along with other insurgents, while on patrol to check for suspicious movement in the area.

Villagers reported hearing the sound of gunfire around midnight, adding that the firing resumed in the early morning hours and continued for a while, leading to panic in the area.

The Mulam Village Authority called the attack a serious escalation and cited incidents in recent days, including the firing at farmers on April 19 and 21, which have created an atmosphere of fear and intimidation.

The reported highway ambush last week came after two children from the Meiti community were killed in a bomb attack while they were asleep in the Bishnupur district.

The killings, amid the Yumnam Khemchand government’s bid to bring peace and normalcy, had sparked massive protests in the valley districts, with residents demanding justice and the arrest of the accused.

The state police said three United Kuki National Army (UKNA) insurgents were arrested during combing operations following the bomb attack in Bishnupur.

The Kuki-Naga conflict that began in 1992 and lasted six years had taken the lives of over 1,000 people. The 2023 Kuki-Meitei violence claimed over 260 lives.