Curfew, internet shutdown continue as fresh violence rocks Manipur’s Ukhrul
Imphal: Curfew remains in force and internet services have been suspended for five days in Manipur’s Ukhrul district as fresh violence between two tribal groups continues to escalate, forcing residents to flee their homes.
According to Kashmir Media Service, nearly a dozen houses were torched in Sareikhong village on Tuesday, intensifying tensions between Kuki-Zo and Naga villagers in the district’s Litan area, located midway between Imphal, the state’s capital, and Ukhrul, the district headquarters. Armed men reportedly opened fire in the area, triggering panic. Many villagers abandoned their houses and moved to safer places, while videos shared on social media showed houses engulfed in flames.
N. Ashok Kumar, Manipur’s Home Commissioner-cum-Secretary, issued an order suspending “Internet/data services, including services through broadband, VPN, and VSAT” in Ukhrul district for five days from 11:30 a.m. on Tuesday (February 10), citing the volatile law and order situation. Curfew was also imposed in parts of Ukhrul district following the arson incidents.
The violence, reportedly triggered by an incident of assault on Saturday night, continued despite the enforcement of prohibitory orders under Section 163 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita, and the deployment of several companies of Central armed forces. The tensions in the district had been building since Saturday night after a Tangkhul Naga man was allegedly assaulted at Litan village. On Sunday, members of the two communities clashed at Litan, with persons from both sides throwing stones, officials said. This prompted the Indian forces to fire tear gas shells to disperse the groups.
“The situation is under control along the main roads, but the interior areas, difficult to access, remain tense,” a district official said. Reportedly, almost 30 houses were burnt on Sunday and Monday. Many, including a police officer, were also injured in the violence.
The violence has disrupted road traffic between Ukhrul and the Imphal Valley, a vital alternative to the arterial National Highways, where movement has already been restricted by Kuki-Zo groups.
The latest flare-up comes just days after the formation of a new government under by BJP chief minister Yumnam Khemchand Singh, who took oath last week. Singh has a long association with the RSS, the BJP’s ideological parent.
Manipur had been under direct federal rule for nearly a year following the 2023 ethnic violence between the Hindu-majority Meitei and Christian-majority Kuki-Zo communities that left more than 260 people dead, most of them Christians. Since then, the communities have remained largely segregated, with thousands still displaced from their homes.
