Imphal, July 1 (IANS) Fresh violence erupted in Manipur’s Kamjong district on Wednesday as armed clashes between Naga and Kuki groups led to the torching of more than 20 houses in villages near the India-Myanmar border, officials said.

According to a senior police official, the violence began in the morning when armed men allegedly attacked a Naga village from a nearby Kuki village, setting at least 10 houses on fire.

The situation deteriorated further in the afternoon when suspected militants and armed village volunteers allegedly launched retaliatory attacks on other villages in the area.

Officials said at least 12 more houses belonging to the Naga community were burnt in the subsequent violence.

Security forces were rushed to the affected villages and launched area domination operations to restore normalcy.

Officials said the situation remained tense but under close watch, with additional forces deployed to prevent any further escalation.

The latest clashes come against the backdrop of rising tensions between the Naga and Kuki communities following the killing of six Naga civilians, whose bodies were recovered on June 11 in Kangpokpi district after they were allegedly abducted on May 13.

The incident triggered widespread protests, counter-economic blockades and renewed hostility between the two communities.

The fresh violence also follows recent disputes over the movement of essential commodity convoys to Kuki-inhabited areas and demonstrations by various organisations.

No casualties had been officially reported in Wednesday’s incidents.

The Kuki Inpi Manipur (KIM), a leading Kuki organisation, condemned the latest act of terror in which a Kuki village in Kamjong district was reduced to ashes by armed cadres of Naga groups.

“This latest attack is yet another addition to the systematic campaign of violence and destruction targeting Kuki villages in the Tangkhul-dominated hill districts of Manipur. What makes this incident particularly alarming is that the village had been under the protection of the security forces, whose personnel vacated the post only a day before the arson took place. The timing raises serious concerns regarding the security arrangements in vulnerable villages and necessitates an immediate and transparent inquiry into the circumstances that enabled the attack,” the KIM claimed in a statement.

Meanwhile, acknowledging and expressing remorse over the killings of six Naga civilians, Kuki-Zo Council (KZC) Chairman Henlianthang Thanglet recently apologised for the incident and called for a fair, transparent and impartial investigation into all acts of violence linked to the continuing ethnic unrest in the state.

Addressing the media at Churachandpur district headquarters along with three other leaders, the KZC Chairman had admitted that the Kuki-Zo people made a grave mistake in killing the six Naga civilians, adding that it was done out of emotion.

However, various Naga groups rejected the apology, terming it “insincere” and demanding the immediate arrest and prosecution of those responsible for the crime.

–IANS

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