Home News Ukhrul Gunfight Leaves Four NVG Injured; Conflicting Claims Expose Deepening Faultlines
Manipur Crisis 2023

Ukhrul Gunfight Leaves Four NVG Injured; Conflicting Claims Expose Deepening Faultlines

by NE Dispatch - Apr 29, 2026 5 Views 0 Comment

Four NVG personnel were injured in a prolonged gunfight in Ukhrul’s Ringui area, with Naga and Kuki groups presenting sharply conflicting accounts, highlighting escalating tensions, recurring violence, contested land claims, and fears of wider instability.

Far View of Sinakeithei Village

KEY POINTS

o   Four NVG personnel injured in prolonged firing at Ringui, Ukhrul

o   Use of illumination rounds and advanced weaponry reported

o   RVPC, TNL allege unprovoked attack by Kuki militants, including SoO cadres

o   Kuki CSO claims incident was a defensive patrol after detecting militant intrusion

o   Second major clash reported within a week in the region

o   NVG highlights possible narco-terror links, urges stronger anti-drug action

o   Civilians remain at high risk amid escalating tensions

 

UKHRUL — A prolonged and intense exchange of fire in the forested Ringui area of Manipur’s Ukhrul district left four members of the Naga Village Guards (NVG) injured on Monday, as sharply divergent narratives from Naga and Kuki civil society groups laid bare a deepening crisis of trust and competing territorial claims.

The incident, which unfolded in a sensitive hill sector marked by recurring confrontations, has once again raised urgent concerns over the fragile security environment and the growing risk of wider ethnic escalation.

According to multiple field inputs, the firing began around 10:30 a.m. and continued for nearly an hour before the attackers withdrew into the forested terrain. However, the situation remained tense long after the initial exchange.

The injured NVG personnel have been identified as Makanmi (35), M. Kashung (42), T. Thingshung, and H. Ngalung. They sustained bullet injuries to the chest, calf, glutes, and ankle respectively. Medical officials indicated that three of them remain in serious condition and are undergoing treatment at Ukhrul District Hospital.

Eyewitness accounts from nearby villages described scenes of panic as gunfire echoed across the hills, forcing civilians to remain indoors amid fears of stray bullets.

There are also reports of Kuki militants attacking Sinakeithei village, with intermittent alerts and heightened vigilance reported until post-midnight. Sinakeithei village in Ukhrul district is described as highly vulnerable due to its geographic isolation and proximity to multiple Kuki militant camps. Situated along a sensitive inter-district fringe near Senapati district, the village lies in a sparsely populated hill corridor with limited road connectivity, making access difficult and emergency response slow.

Reports indicate that armed camps in nearby hill ranges overlook key approach routes to Sinakeithei, creating a constant security risk for residents. Its location away from major administrative centres further compounds the problem, leaving villagers exposed with minimal state protection. The surrounding terrain—dense forests and elevated ridgelines—provides strategic advantage to armed groups, enabling surveillance and movement control.

As a result, Sinakeithei is not only physically isolated but also strategically encircled, with its residents facing persistent threats due to the close proximity of militant presence and lack of secure connectivity to neighbouring Tangkhul-majority areas.

“The scale of engagement suggests not a stray encounter but a coordinated operation—illumination rounds and sophisticated military-grade weapons were used,” a local source said.

Naga Bodies Term Attack ‘Unprovoked’, Cite Pattern of Violence

The Ringui Village Protection Committee (RVPC) condemned the attack as unprovoked and alleged that the assailants were Kuki militants operating under the Suspension of Operations (SoO) arrangement.

The committee stated that the NVG personnel were on routine guard duty in the Ringui Horei forest—an area considered crucial for village security—when they came under sudden fire.

“Such repeated aggression is not an isolated event but part of a disturbing pattern. It threatens to destabilize the already fragile peace in the region,” the RVPC said.

The Working Committee of Tangkhul Naga Long (TNL) reinforced this position in a strongly worded communiqué, alleging that Kuki militants, including SoO cadres, had established bunkers approximately 5–6 kilometres inside Ringui’s territorial jurisdiction.

The TNL further pointed out that the latest incident marks the second attack within a week. In a previous ambush between Sirarakhong and Sinakeithei, one NVG member was killed while four others were injured.

“If claims of peaceful coexistence are genuine, they must reflect in actions on the ground. Continued aggression only deepens mistrust and invites further instability,” the TNL Working Committee stated.

The organisation also accused certain Kuki civil society groups of “fabricating narratives” to portray Tangkhul Nagas as aggressors, asserting that such claims are inconsistent with ground realities.

 

Kuki CSO Presents Counter-Narrative, Claims Defensive Action

In a counter statement, the Kuki CSO Working Committee, Ukhrul, rejected allegations of aggression and instead framed the incident as a defensive response to an attempted intrusion.

The committee stated that credible local intelligence had indicated the presence of suspected Tangkhul militant elements along the Kampa Mol (Mount Compass) ridges—areas it described as shared cultivated land belonging to Kuki villages such as Yaolen Chepu, Mongkot Chepu, Lamlai Chingphei, and Mulam.

Acting on these inputs, Kuki village volunteers reportedly initiated a preventive patrol aimed at securing their land following what they described as repeated threats.

“The inputs proved accurate. During the patrol, our volunteers encountered intruding Tangkhul militants who had already entered the jungle areas of Kuki village land,” the statement said.

According to the committee, the two sides came into direct contact within the shared border area, triggering an exchange of fire at approximately 11:10 a.m.

The Kuki CSO further linked the patrol to recent tensions, including a reported attack on Mulam Kuki village just days earlier, suggesting a broader pattern of targeted aggression against Kuki settlements.

“Peace cannot be one-sided. While we stand for coexistence, the defence of our land, rights, and people is non-negotiable,” the statement asserted.

It also questioned what it described as a contradiction between public peace narratives from Tangkhul groups and alleged continued militant presence within Kuki-claimed territories.

 

Narco-Terror Allegations Add Another Layer

Adding another dimension to the conflict, the NVG stated that its patrol team had been investigating suspected illegal activities when it came under heavy fire.

The group alleged that the region has long functioned as a hub for poppy cultivation and a transit corridor for narco-terror networks, linking the violence to deeper criminal economies.

“Without addressing the root—illegal cultivation and trafficking networks—such violence will persist,” the NVG said, urging both state and central governments to intensify anti-drug operations and strengthen enforcement mechanisms.

 

A Region on Edge: Civilians Caught in the Crossfire

Beyond the immediate exchange of fire, the incident underscores the growing vulnerability of civilian populations in the hill districts. Recurrent clashes, coupled with militarisation of forested zones, have heightened fears of displacement, property damage, and unintended casualties.

What emerges starkly is not merely a clash of armed groups, but a collision of narratives—each rooted in claims of land, identity, and security. The absence of a shared framework of truth continues to widen the gulf between communities.

Unless institutional intervention restores both security and credibility, the hills risk slipping further into a cycle where every encounter becomes both a battle on the ground and a war of narratives.

Meanwhile there are reports of Kuki living in Chawangkining Liangmai village in Kangpokpi district building a bunker recently. A recent video shared on X showed some persons piling up sand bags to set up a bunker.

Tags:
Manipur Ukhrul Conflict Manipur Crisis 2023 Arm Militants 2026 Kuki Tangkhul Naga
Share:

Category