Five Kuki men killed in Manipur in 24 hours amid fresh tensions

Millat Times Desk

01 November 2026 (Publish: 06:56 AM IST)

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Five men from the Kuki community were killed in separate incidents in Manipur over 24 hours, as tensions between Kuki and Naga groups continued to escalate in the northeastern state.

Three Kuki men were killed in an exchange of gunfire between unidentified armed groups in Noney district on Saturday, a police official told Scroll. The victims were identified as Thanglensang Singson, Thangkhosei Haokip and Lamminsang Kipgen, all residents of Churachandpur district, the Hindustan Times reported.

The Kuki Inpi Manipur, an apex body of the community, said the three men were village volunteers and blamed the state government for failing to provide adequate security to Kuki-Zo communities.

Separately, two Kuki civilians who went missing from Taphou Kuki village on Wednesday were found dead on Sunday, Manipur Police said in a social media post.

The killings came as thousands of people from Meitei organisations, backed by Naga civil society groups, held a rally in Imphal demanding the withdrawal of the Suspension of Operations (SoO) agreement with Kuki-Zo armed groups.

Naga organisations also held demonstrations in several hill districts in support of the demand, accusing Kuki-Zo militant groups of involvement in violence.

The SoO agreement was signed in 2008 between the Centre, the Manipur government and two conglomerates of Kuki militant outfits — the Kuki National Organisation and the United People’s Front.

Under the agreement, security forces and the armed groups are prohibited from launching operations against each other. The militant groups are required to abide by Indian laws and remain confined to designated camps identified by the Union government. The agreement was renewed in September 2025.

The killings have added to tensions between Kuki and Naga communities, which have escalated since February. The latest deaths take the toll in clashes between the two communities since then to 68.

The developments come against the backdrop of ethnic violence that erupted in Manipur in May 2023 between the Meitei and Kuki-Zo-Hmar communities.

At least 306 people have been killed and 49 remain missing since the violence began, the Manipur Assembly was informed in September. Around 60,000 people were displaced, of whom 36,000 had been resettled, while 24,000 remained in relief camps across the state.