Imphal, Feb 9: Fresh violence broke out in Manipur’s Ukhrul district on Monday afternoon after armed miscreants allegedly set fire to more houses in Litan Sareikhong village, officials said.
Armed groups also fired several rounds in the air in the vicinity of the hill village, forcing residents to flee with essential belongings to safer areas in neighbouring Kangpokpi district.
Several Tangkhul villagers were also reported to have left the area.
Violence first started in the area on Saturday night after a Tangkhul Naga community member was allegedly assaulted by seven to eight persons at Litan village.
The matter was settled by the victim’s side and the chief of Litan Sareikhong, and both parties mutually agreed to resolve the issue through customary means, with a meeting scheduled for Sunday, the officials said.
However, the meeting did not take place.
Instead, a group of villagers from nearby Sikibung allegedly launched an attack on the residence of the chief of Litan Sareikhong, they said.
The villagers also reportedly fired several rounds while passing through the vicinity of Litan police station.
On Sunday night, two tribal groups engaged in intense stone pelting at the village, prompting the administration to clamp prohibitory orders.
Around midnight on Monday, several houses of Tangkhul Naga community members were set on fire at Litan Sareikhong, allegedly by Kuki militants..
A few houses of those belonging to the Kuki community were also torched in a nearby area, officials said.
Tangkhul is the largest Naga tribe in Manipur.
Reacting to the developments, state minister Govindas Konthoujam said the situation on the ground remained tense.
“The ground situation is very tense. Deputy Chief Minister L Dikho is at the spot interacting with villagers. A meeting was held and shortly after that, there were reports of more houses being burnt. Till 5 am today, 17 houses were burnt. Now, altogether 21 houses have been gutted,” Konthoujam told reporters.
“As there are reports of continued violence, additional security forces have been sent,” Konthoujam added.
Earlier, a team led by deputy chief minster L Dikho, Tangkhul Naga civil bodies and Kuki MLA held a meeting at Litan.
“The meeting was attended by the representatives of the Tangkhul Naga Long, Tangkhul Shanao Long along with Assam Rifles officers, Ukhrul MLA, state government officials and representatives from Kuki community” an official said.
Dikho also inspected areas affected by the clash between the Tangkhul and Kuki communities and held meetings with Naga and Kuki village heads.
Dikho, emphasising the shared desire for peace, said both communities were positive and agreed that the violence must stop.
He told reporters, “The meeting has been very fruitful and positive. Everyone wants peace. It is difficult to reach a conclusion immediately, but there is consensus that the violence should not continue.”
Dikho also said the incident was triggered by the actions of a few individuals and should not be allowed to escalate into broader communal tension.
“Security forces are quite active and sufficiently deployed. We are doing our best to ensure that peace is restored,” Dikho added.
Security forces are trying to control the situation with foot patrolling, deployment at critical points as well.
Earlier in the day, Chief Minister Y Khemchand Singh, in a social media post, appealed to all communities to exercise restraint and maintain peace.
“Visited RIMS Hospital this morning to meet those injured in the unfortunate Litan incident in Ukhrul District & assured all necessary medical support for their speedy recovery,” he said.
“The incident, arising out of a misunderstanding, is now under control. I appeal to all communities to exercise restraint, uphold the rule of law, and maintain peace and harmony,” the CM added.(PTI)
