One NVG volunteer was killed and five people, including two CoBRA commandos, were injured in a gunfight in Manipur's Noney district, triggering protests and an indefinite shutdown.
Imphal, July 30: A security operation carried out by the CRPF's elite 207 Commando Battalion for Resolute Action (CoBRA) in Manipur's Noney district has triggered fresh unrest in the state's hill region after an exchange of fire with members of the Naga Village Guard (NVG) left one volunteer dead and five others injured, including two CoBRA personnel.
The incident, which took place at around 6 am on Wednesday near Bitiang (Laphok) village under the Tupul subdivision, has since sparked widespread protests, an indefinite shutdown across several Naga-inhabited areas, and strong condemnation from multiple Naga civil society organisations, village bodies and political groups. The confrontation has also renewed questions over security operations in the region, with local organisations alleging that village defence volunteers were wrongly targeted while demanding action against those responsible for the killing of six Naga civilians earlier this year.
According to official sources, the CoBRA unit launched an early morning operation after receiving intelligence inputs regarding an alleged unauthorised training camp being conducted by members of the Naga Village Guard in a forested area near Bitiang village. Officials stated that security personnel moved into the area to verify the information and dismantle the camp if required.
The operation reportedly escalated when armed volunteers allegedly opened fire on the approaching security forces, resulting in an exchange of gunfire that lasted for nearly half an hour. During the encounter, 22-year-old Lanbimei Riamei of Longmai Bazar, identified as a member of the Naga Village Guard, sustained fatal bullet injuries.
Three other NVG members suffered serious gunshot wounds and were shifted to Noney District Hospital for treatment. Two CoBRA personnel, Head Constable Radheshyam and Constable Jitendra Kumar, also sustained bullet and splinter injuries during the encounter and were evacuated to Imphal for specialised medical care.
Police have registered a case at Khoupum Police Station, and an investigation has been initiated to establish the precise sequence of events that led to the gunbattle. Additional deployments comprising the Rapid Action Force (RAF), Manipur Police and central security forces have been stationed around the affected area to prevent any further escalation.
The death of the village guard immediately triggered anger across Naga-inhabited areas of Noney, Tamenglong and neighbouring districts.
The Working Committee of the Joint Tribes Council (JTC), Manipur announced an emergency indefinite shutdown in protest against the operation. The shutdown affected areas inhabited by the Inpui, Liangmai, Rongmei and Zeme communities and brought normal movement along National Highway-37 to a standstill.
At Kambiron village in Tamenglong district, private vehicles, commercial trucks and passenger buses travelling between Imphal and Jiribam remained stranded as volunteers enforced the shutdown. Similar protests were reported at Goinanglong (Oinamlong), where demonstrators blocked vehicular movement in protest against the shooting at Bitiang.
Apart from disrupting highway traffic, the shutdown also affected railway movement and work on several national infrastructure projects passing through the region. Only emergency and essential services were exempted.
Following the encounter, local residents, including groups of Rongmei Naga women, reportedly gathered near the area to prevent additional security reinforcements from advancing further into the village. Community leaders maintained that the Naga Village Guard consists of local volunteers formed solely for the protection of villages and civilians amid the continuing ethnic conflict in Manipur.
According to residents, the volunteers were defending their ancestral villages from possible attacks and should not be equated with underground militant organisations.
The Joint Tribes Council, in a detailed condemnation statement, described the incident as a tragic consequence of what it termed a lack of coordination between security forces and the district administration.
The council stated that village guards had been organised only because communities continued to live under constant fear arising from the prevailing ethnic conflict. It maintained that these volunteers were local civilians entrusted with protecting women, children and property and were not underground militants.
According to the council, the tragedy could have been avoided if the security operation had been coordinated with district civil authorities and local police officials familiar with the situation on the ground.
The JTC further expressed concern over what it described as unequal treatment in security-related matters. It noted that despite repeated appeals following the abduction and killing of six Naga civilians earlier this year, those responsible had not yet been brought to justice. Against that backdrop, it argued that the use of force against village guards had created a deep sense of injustice among the Naga community and risked undermining public confidence in the neutrality of security agencies.
The council appealed to both the Government of India and the Government of Manipur to ensure that constitutional duties are discharged impartially and that security operations are conducted with fairness, restraint and respect for human rights.
The Rongmei Naga Council, Manipur also issued a strongly worded statement condemning the operation. The organisation alleged that the CoBRA personnel acted in collusion with the Zeliangrong United Front (Jiangchui faction), or ZUF(J), and described the incident as a violation of human rights and the peace process.
The council expressed condolences to the family of the deceased volunteer, describing him as someone who had been protecting his ancestral land and community. It further alleged that while authorities had failed to identify and punish those responsible for the killing of six Naga civilians earlier this year, security agencies had instead targeted local village defenders.
The organisation demanded the transfer of senior police and CRPF officials, including the Inspector General overseeing CRPF operations in Manipur and Nagaland and the Additional Director General of Police (Law and Order), alleging failures in handling the security situation. It also demanded political accountability from the state government.
Similar reactions emerged from the Liangmai Naga Council, Manipur, which condemned what it described as an unprovoked operation at Bitiang village. The council maintained that the deceased village guard was defending his village and alleged that security agencies were focusing on village volunteers instead of those responsible for attacks on Naga civilians.
The Liangmai Naga Council endorsed the indefinite shutdown announced by the Joint Tribes Council and urged authorities to immediately halt actions that could further endanger civilians. It also called for restraint and accountability from security agencies while conveying condolences to the family of the deceased.
Former MLA Samuel Jendai also sought an impartial investigation into the incident.
In a public statement, he expressed shock over the death of Lanbimei Riamei and observed that every citizen has a fundamental right to life and dignity. He stressed that the use of force must always be exercised with restraint and accountability and said any incident involving security forces should be subjected to a fair, independent and time-bound investigation.
Jendai appealed to the authorities to establish the truth behind the encounter while urging people to remain peaceful and seek justice through lawful means.
The incident also drew condemnation from the United Naga Council (UNC), which on Thursday described the operation as an excessive use of force in Naga hill areas. In its statement, the council alleged that central security forces had conducted heavily militarised search and combing operations in villages under Noney subdivision, resulting in the death of a Naga Village Guard and injuries to others.
The UNC further alleged that instead of focusing operations against armed groups accused of attacking Naga villages, security agencies had intensified operations in areas inhabited by the victim communities. It claimed this had created fear among civilians and raised concerns over what it termed a pattern of targeting ordinary villagers during security operations.
The council also criticised the reported detention of Rongmei Naga Council leaders, including RNCM president K.C. Savio, Gailanchung Kamei and Dr. Aku Newme, by Manipur Police during the early hours of July 30. According to the UNC, the leaders were later released, but the organisation described the action as intimidation of community representatives who had been seeking justice for Naga civilians killed in earlier incidents. There was no immediate official statement from the police regarding the reported detentions.
The NSCN/GPRN also issued a statement condemning the operation. It alleged that the attack on volunteers of the Western Command of the Naga Village Guard had been carried out jointly by CoBRA personnel and the Zeliangrong United Front (Jiangchui faction). The organisation described the incident as an assault on the security of indigenous Naga communities and expressed condolences to the family of the deceased volunteer.
Similarly, KHANUITHOT-KHON (Voice of the Naga Youth) criticised the operation, alleging that the government had failed to address the activities of armed groups operating in the region while acting against Naga village volunteers. The organisation claimed that the existence of village guards reflected the inability of authorities to provide adequate security to remote villages affected by the prolonged conflict. It further argued that the latest incident could deepen mistrust between local communities and security agencies if accountability was not ensured.
These allegations have not been independently verified, and neither the CRPF nor other central security agencies had issued any public response addressing the specific accusations at the time of filing this report.
The Bitiang Village Authority also submitted a memorandum to the Deputy Commissioner of Noney demanding the immediate withdrawal of the CoBRA team from the village. In its representation, the village authority stated that the Naga Village Guard had been formed solely to protect villagers during the ongoing Naga-Kuki tensions and asserted that the volunteers were indigenous residents safeguarding their own communities.
The memorandum alleged that while security agencies had failed to apprehend those responsible for the abduction and killing of six Naga civilians earlier this year, they had instead launched an operation against local village defenders. The authority urged the district administration to intervene immediately to prevent further escalation.
A recurring theme across the statements issued by various Naga organisations was the reference to the abduction and killing of six Naga civilians from Leilon Vaiphei village earlier in 2026. The organisations argued that despite repeated appeals, those responsible had not yet been brought to justice. They contended that the absence of visible progress in that case had eroded public confidence and intensified resentment following Wednesday's encounter.
For many of the organisations, the Bitiang incident was viewed not as an isolated event but as part of a wider pattern of perceived imbalance in security operations. They urged both the Union and state governments to ensure that all communities receive equal protection under the law and that investigations into violence affecting civilians are pursued without discrimination.
Meanwhile, security remained tight across Noney district and adjoining areas on Thursday. Additional contingents of the Rapid Action Force, Manipur Police and central security forces continued to maintain vigil at sensitive locations to prevent any further deterioration of the law and order situation. Authorities closely monitored movement along National Highway-37, where the shutdown affected passenger traffic, commercial transportation and the movement of essential goods in several stretches.
Although emergency services continued to function, many educational institutions, markets and business establishments remained closed in areas observing the shutdown. Long queues of stranded vehicles were reported from several points along the Imphal-Jiribam highway as volunteers enforced the protest.
Officials have not indicated whether further search operations will be conducted in the Bitiang area. However, the registration of a case at Khoupum Police Station marks the beginning of a formal investigation into the circumstances that led to the exchange of fire.
Investigators are expected to examine forensic evidence from the site, statements of injured personnel and witnesses, and operational records to establish how the confrontation unfolded. The inquiry is likely to determine whether standard operating procedures were followed and identify the sequence of events that resulted in the casualties on both sides.
The incident once again highlights the complex security environment prevailing in Manipur's hill districts, where multiple armed groups, village defence organisations and security agencies continue to operate amid the prolonged ethnic conflict. While security forces maintain that operations are aimed at preventing the proliferation of illegal armed camps and maintaining law and order, many village organisations argue that community defence groups emerged because of persistent insecurity and repeated attacks on remote settlements.
These competing narratives have further complicated an already fragile situation, with both official agencies and community organisations presenting sharply different accounts of Wednesday's events.
As investigations proceed, civil society organisations have continued to press for an independent and impartial inquiry into the encounter. They have also called upon the authorities to engage with affected communities, ensure transparency in the investigation and take measures to prevent further violence.
For now, tensions remain high across parts of Noney and neighbouring districts. The indefinite shutdown called by the Joint Tribes Council continues to affect normal life, while residents await the findings of the police investigation and any official response from the central security agencies regarding the allegations raised by various Naga organisations.
With one life lost, several others injured and public anger continuing to build, the Bitiang encounter has become another flashpoint in Manipur's protracted conflict, underscoring the urgent need for credible investigations, confidence-building measures and sustained efforts to prevent further violence in the state's already volatile hill regions.
