Man Injured In Ambush By Kuki Insurgents, Alleges Naga Village Body In Manipur

A man was injured in firing allegedly by insurgents of the Kuki National Front (P) in Manipur's Kangpokpi district today, the authority of the village, Konsakhul, where the incident happened, said in a statement.

This is the same village from where 18 members of the Naga tribe were earlier taken hostage by insurgents, the authority said, adding six are still missing.

The Konsakhul Village Authority in a statement alleged the attack took place at 10.30 am after the suspects cut off the water supply line serving Konsakhul Naga village. Some people from the village who went to fix the water supply line were ambushed, it said.

A villager, identified as Kachiaklung Chawang, was critically injured in the attack that the Konsakhul Village Authority alleged was carried out by the KNF(P) along with armed individuals from Leilon Vaiphei village.

The authority termed the attack "barbaric and inhumane", and said it created an atmosphere of fear, insecurity and distress among the peaceful residents of the village. It said the incident has deepened the trauma already faced by the Naga tribe following the kidnapping of 18 members of the tribe; 12 of them have been released.

The Konsakhul Village Authority asked the government to take "immediate and decisive measures" to ensure the safety of residents, restore essential services, conduct a thorough investigation into the incident and bring those responsible to justice.

The village authority also appealed to civil society organisations, responsible institutions and human rights bodies to take cognisance of the situation and give support in safeguarding the lives, rights and dignity of the people of Konsakhul.

Konsakhul Naga village has seen heightened tensions and security concerns in recent weeks amid reports of kidnappings, affecting villagers.

There was no immediate response from the authorities at the time of filing this report.

The 'P' in KNF-P means "president"; it is used to indicate KNF-P is the original KNF, hence the letter "president", the supreme. The KNF was founded in 1987. In 1994, KNF split into two factions i.e. KNF-MC led by SK Kipgen, and the original became KNF-P led by ST Thangboi Kipgen.

So, KNF is the KNF-P; the rest are its factions.

The KNF is a signatory to the controversial suspension of operations (SoO) agreement signed between nearly two dozen Kuki insurgent groups and the state and the centre. Under the SoO agreement, the insurgents are to stay at designated camps and their weapons kept in locked, monitored storage.

Today's incident comes days after another ambush by Kuki insurgents on a highway killed a driver of the Food Corporation of India from West Bengal. The Manipur Police in a statement had said the attack was done by "armed Kuki militants who had taken tactical positions along the route."

The Kuki-Naga conflict between 1993 and 1998 killed 750 people and sporadic incidents continued for a decade, according to government data presented to parliament in April 2025.

Meitei Alliance Asks Authorities To Act

The Meitei Alliance, an influential global umbrella body of civil society organisations of Manipur's Meitei community, in a statement said the "deliberate targeting of such a convoy demonstrates a complete disregard for human welfare and public safety."

"... The deliberate targeting of civilian transport vehicles carrying essential supplies, together with the attack on security personnel entrusted with maintaining public safety, constitutes a grave violation of humanitarian principles and the rule of law," the Meitei Alliance said in the statement today.

It asked the authorities in Manipur and the Union government "to demonstrate the courage and moral responsibility necessary to acknowledge such cowardly acts for what they are - acts of terrorism," it said, adding the continued use of violence, armed intimidation and terrorist tactics by insurgent groups can never provide a solution to any grievance.

"Lasting peace can only be achieved through adherence to the rule of law, respect for human life, and the firm and impartial enforcement of constitutional authority," the Meitei Alliance said.