Amidst the continued violent conflict due to Kuki-Zomi militants attack against the Meiteis since May 3, 2023 that is completing two years on May 3, 2025; attacking villages and burning down of houses belonging to Naga community by the Kuki-Zomi militants are reported. However, the burning down of two Kuki villages on April 23 is reportedly the first of burning down Kuki houses in Naga-dominated areas during the continued violent conflict since May 3, 2023.
No one knows yet who burned down the Kuki houses of the two villages. But it was so fast to spread on social media that the miscreants who burned down the Kuki houses would be the cadres of the Isak-Muivah faction of the National Socialist Council of Nagaland – NSCN (IM). Some social media circulation said the miscreants speak Tangkhuls while some said amongst the miscreants there were also speakers of Meiteilon (Meitei language/Manipuri). Notably, there is no Meitei settlement nearby the two Kuki villages or elsewhere in Kamjong district bordering Myanmar. The NSCN (IM) has denied its involvement in the arson of the Kuki houses near the Indo-Myanmar border. Still darkness surrounds the incident of April 23, 2025.
The burning down of two Kuki villages – Gamphal and Haijang – in Naga-dominated Kamjong district of Manipur on April 23 is in amidst prevalence of simmering tension between the tribes belonging to Nagas and Kukis.
Recently, in a disturbing incident that could flare up communal animosity among different communities in the already fragile and burning Manipur Kuki militants burned down houses at Kazanga village, a revenue village of the Maram tribe belonging to Naga community on April 3, 2025.
Tumuyon Khullen village has alleged that some Kuki volunteers, numbering around 30 to 40 members suspected from Valpabung village, armed with knives and guns, destroyed and burned down the houses to ashes at around 2:00 PM.
Another attack on Naga village by the Kuki armed militants was on April 5, 2025. Hundreds of armed Kuki militants attacked the Konsakhul (Konsaram) inhabited by Liangmai belonging to Naga community. In the assault, at least eight individuals including the Village Chief Aimson Abonmai, 65 and Village Secretary D. Adam, 40 were beaten allegedly over a land dispute. The Village Chief and Secretary seriously injured and rushed to the Regional Institute of Medical Sciences (RIMS) in Imphal for urgent medical treatment. Their vehicles were also vandalised during the attack.
Following the attack, the Eastern Liangmai Naga Chiefs/Chairmen’s Association (ELNCA) had issued on April 13 a strong call for urgent government intervention regarding the April 5 attack on Konsakhul village by Kuki militants. ELNCA demanded swift arrest and prosecution of those responsible, dismantling of militant camps, and review of the Suspension of Operations (SOO) agreement, warning that failure to act could lead to further unrest.
Earlier, on January 7, 2025, a Liangmai woman working on her farmland in Konsakhul was also reportedly assaulted by armed Kuki militants, who also destroyed her mobile phone. The incident triggered widespread outrage among the Liangmai people and led to increased unease in the surrounding areas.
Most recently, the burning down of Kuki houses at Gamphal and Haijang villages under Sahamphung Sub-Division of Manipur Kamjong district bordering Myanmar took place on April 23 at around 9:00 AM. The villages are located on the extreme eastern Indo-Myanmar border area of Kamjong district – between Border Pillar No 117 and Border Pillar No 118. Notably, Haijang, a hamlet of Gamphal village, is not a Government recognised village, according to sources. Both the villages fall under Chassad police station.
According to reports, the armed miscreants burned down 16 houses at Gamphal village and 12 houses at Haijang village.
Notably, no one injured in the arson. It is said that most villagers were away tilling their fields when the miscreants attacked the Gamphal and Haijang villages.
Expectedly, Kamjong District Magistrate imposed restrictions under Section 163 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS) as such disturbances could lead to serious breaches of peace, endanger public tranquillity, and pose risks to human lives and property.
The order, applicable in and around the two villages in the district’s Sahamphung Subdivision, prohibited the movement of any person outside their residences and any other act or activity that could disturb the law and order in the area.
Since then, there is no report of any untoward incident in the area.
Swiftly, Kuki bodies in Manipur have strongly and unequivocally condemned the “arson and violence” committed in the villages of Gamphal and Haijang under Sahamphung Sub-Division of Kamjong District on April 23, 2025.
The Committee on Tribal Unity (COTU) issued a scathing statement denouncing the arson and violence, which it says were carried out by miscreants from surrounding Tangkhul areas.
In a strongly worded condemnation, COTU slammed Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s perceived indifference to the ongoing turmoil in Manipur, contrasting his prompt reaction to a terror attack in Jammu & Kashmir with his silence on Manipur.
“The Prime Minister aborted his Saudi visit to respond to an attack in Pahalgam, yet remains deaf to the cries of hundreds of grieving families in Manipur,” it stated.
Even under President’s Rule, COTU noted, constitutional authorities failed to act.
“With central oversight in place, the Governor still could not protect the villagers of Gamphal and Haijang, who were forced to flee as their homes were engulfed in flames,” stated COTU.
Moreover, in a joint statement, the Kuki Inpi Manipur (KIM), Kuki Students’ Organisation (KSO-GHQ), Kuki Chiefs’ Association, Manipur (KCA-M), Kuki Women Union (KWU-GHQ) and Kuki Women Organisation for Human Rights (KWOHR) said “these heinous attacks have terrorised innocent Kuki civilians and once again imperilled the already fragile peace and stability in the region. The perpetrators of these cowardly acts have inflicted severe trauma, destroyed homes and property, and disrupted the lives of many who are already enduring the weight of ongoing ethnic tensions.”
The Kuki bodies further pointed out that the attack “is yet another horrifying chapter in the systematic targeting of the Kuki-Zo people, who continue to face violence, displacement, and discrimination. It is deeply alarming that such acts of terror persist under the watch of the Government of India, which has repeatedly failed to uphold its constitutional duty to maintain law and order – particularly during a crisis that demands urgent, sensitive, and just intervention.”
While the joint statement questioned the continued failure of the Central Government to address the persistent violence, protect vulnerable communities, and uphold justice in a region long plagued by violent conflict, the Kuki bodies also highlighted the absence of timely and effective intervention only reinforces perceptions of bias and negligence in the handling of the Kuki-Zomi people’s plight.
The Kuki bodies then placed three demands before the Government of India, in what it described as “the ongoing threat to peace and civilian life”:
- Immediate rebuilding and restoration of Gamphal and Haijang villages, including proper rehabilitation of affected families and fair compensation for losses.
- Deployment of adequate, neutral security forces to ensure the safety and protection of the villagers and to prevent further violence.
- Provision of essential supplies including food, medical aid, and shelter to all those displaced or affected, ensuring their humanitarian needs are met without delay.
The Kuki bodies also urged the “Government to act with immediacy, impartiality, and integrity, adding that the people of Gampal, Haijang, and the wider Kuki-Zomi community deserve not only protection, but also justice and peace.
“The Kuki-Zo community views this act of terror seriously as this would create misunderstanding between communities in the otherwise peaceful area,” the joint statement added.
Meanwhile, the General Headquarters of the Naga Army of the NSCN (IM) has denied any involvement in the alleged arson and violence as claimed by Gamphal and Haijang villages on Wednesday, April 23, 2025 where 14 houses in Gampal village and 8 houses in Haijang hamlet were burnt to the ground.
“The wild speculation circulating on the social media, suspecting the hands of NSCN stands condemned out rightly,” the NSCN (IM) said in a statement, denying its involvement.
“The recent act of arson committed upon the denizens of Gampal and Haijang villages under Kamjong district by some unknown miscreants is lamentable,” the NSCN (IM) said in a press statement issued on April 24.
“It is hereby clarified that the Naga army has no involvement in the unfortunate incident. All concerned are advised not to be carried away by such malicious disinformation. The conspiracy surrounding the incident shall be exposed sooner or later,” the statement added.
Now, the burning down of two Kuki villages in Naga-dominated area of Manipur on April 23, 2025 not only has exposed yet another societal fault line in the fragile and burning Manipur but also other security concerns.
It may be mentioned that in a landmark move that marks a new chapter in the history of border development in Manipur, the Union Minister of State for Defence, Sanjay Seth visited Kamjong District Headquarters on April 9, 2025.
Talking to IRAP, Ashang Kasar, President of the Indigenous People’s Forum, Manipur (IPFM) asked if the two villages were established under the law and recognised by the Government. Are the villages on government records, asks Ashang Kasar considering the threats to indigenous people of Manipur by the illegal immigrants and unnatural growth of villages destroying forests and environment.
Further, Ashang Kasar, regarding the burning down of two Kuki villages in Manipur’s Kamjong district bordering Myanmar, said that possibilities of creating a situation by vested interests to bring in Central Security Forces in the area vulnerable to insurgents cannot be ruled out.
Senior Editor: Imphal Review of Arts and Politics
