Teenager shot dead amid continuing violence in BJP-ruled Manipur
Recurring attacks deepen concerns over security, restoration of normalcy
Imphal: In the latest incident of violence in strife-torn Manipur, unidentified gunmen shot dead a 17-year-old Naga boy in Tamenglong district.
TcPolice said the attackers had yet not been identified.
Since clashes erupted between the Naga and Kuki communities in February 2026, more than 40 people have been killed in the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-ruled state.
The latest incident came within a week of the killings of two Kuki women who were shot dead by unidentified gunmen in Tamenglong on September 15. Hours later, suspected militants burnt down at least two houses at a Naga village in neighbouring Kangpokpi district.
Prior to that, four Kuki people, two of whom were women, were killed in two attacks by suspected militants in Tamenglong and Noney districts on September 13.
Amid the clashes between the two communities, Kangpokpi, Tamenglong, Noney, Ukhrul and Kamjong continue to remain the most affected districts where incidents of violence have been reported.
The broader ethnic conflict in Manipur between the Christian-dominated Kuki-Zo and Hindu-dominated Meitei communities began in May 2023 and has claimed at least 306 lives, mostly Christians, while thousands remain homeless.
The ruling BJP has faced severe criticism over its handling of the prolonged crisis and failure to stop incidents of violence. Manipur’s political trajectory over the past three years has seen multiple shifts, but little substantive change on the ground. From N. Biren Singh’s government to a period of President’s Rule in February 2025, and now under chief minister Y. Khemchand Singh, the promise of restoring normalcy has largely remained stalled.
