Author, Dilip Kumar Sharma
Designation for BBC News Hindi
Published 2 minutes ago
Reading Time: 8 minutes
On September 21, 17-year-old NK Vifenbo was going towards Tamei town in Manipur to buy food items.
But on the way some armed attackers shot him dead. Vifenbo, who was studying in class 11, was a resident of Upper Nkou village in Tamenglong district of Manipur.
His father Mahinlakbou, who was completely devastated by the incident, told BBC News Hindi, "My innocent son was murdered so brutally, what was his fault?"
The attack on Vifenbo, who belonged to the Liangmai Naga tribe, took place at around 10.30 in the day.
Just a week before this incident, on September 15, two women working in the fields were killed by suspected extremists in Leisangphai village of Tamenglong district.
Those killed in the attack, 60-year-old Chonga Sitlahau and 30-year-old Kimboi Singson, were from the Kuki tribe.
Kimboi had recently completed her nursing studies. She was returning after helping her mother in the fields when she was attacked.
Seven people murdered in two days
Meanwhile, so far three people have died in an attack in Senapati district on Saturday.
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The attack was carried out inside the house of the head of Kalenjang village, where the victims were present.
In this way, seven people have been murdered in the last two days. All the people who died were from the Naga community.
At least 50 people have been murdered in Manipur in the last seven months.
In fact, caste conflict is already going on in Manipur between the Meitei community and the Kuki tribe since May 2023.
However, the latest violence is taking place between the Kuki-Jo tribe and the Tangkhul Naga tribe. Both these tribes are settled in 11 hill districts of the state.
Senapati, Ukhrul, Tamenglong, Kamjong and Noni districts are dominated by Naga people while Kukis dominate in Churachandpur, Kangpokpi, Tengnoupal and Chandel.
In the remaining districts there is a mixed population of both the tribes.
How did the violence start, what is the history of the conflict between the two tribes?
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In fact, on February 7 this year, there was a scuffle allegedly under the influence of alcohol between some youths of Kuki and Naga tribes in Liton village of Ukhrul district.
On the second day of this incident, some armed miscreants set fire to dozens of houses in the village and thus a bloody conflict started between the two tribes.
A major reason for this violence not stopping is said to be the extremist groups emerging from both the communities.
K. Onil, a human rights activist who has been working in violence-hit areas of Manipur for a long time, says, "The Kuki-Naga conflict has a long history. Even though both the tribes follow Christianity, the root cause of the conflict is land."
"Actually, the Kukis want their control in the Naga dominated areas, due to which violence is taking place. Actually, the Kukis are spread in the entire area while the Naga people are settled in a particular area, this is the ethnic difference between the two."
K. Onil explains, "Kukis are settled in Naga-dominated districts like Ukhrul, Kamjong, but Nagas do not live in Kuki-dominated areas. This is a big problem."
"The conflict between the two tribes may have started with a simple quarrel in February this year, but the fight for supremacy between the two is very old."
There has been a territorial dispute between the two tribes living in the mountains since the 1950s.
Between 1992 and 1998, there were large-scale violent clashes between the two tribes in which hundreds of people lost their lives.
In fact, in 1992, Onkholet Haokip, an 18-year-old cadre of the Kuki National Army, was murdered near Moreh, adjacent to the India-Myanmar border.
After which there was a long period of violence between Kuki and Naga armed groups. About one thousand Kukis and about 400 Naga people lost their lives in the violence that lasted for more than six years.
During that time, hundreds of people's houses were burnt. At least more than 50 thousand people were said to be homeless.
Extremist groups involved in killing civilians
Citizens have blamed extremist groups for all the deaths that have occurred so far in this violence that started last February.
In one sense, citizens are not killing each other in this fight. Extremist groups are being blamed in all the attacks.
In recent times, after the killing of Naga people, major organizations of the Naga tribe have issued statements blaming Kuki armed extremists working under 'Suspension of Operations'.
While the leading civil organizations of the Kuki-Zo tribe have been naming the extremist group NSCN-IM and Zeliangrong United Front-Kamsan as being behind these killings.
Lun Kipgen, spokesperson of Kuki Impi Manipur, the main organization of the Kuki tribe, told BBC News Hindi, "Some people of the Naga community have started this conflict as part of a conspiracy. Otherwise, a normal fight between some youths in February would not have turned into such a big violence."
He further claims, "This fight is not about land rights and land supremacy because both the tribes have got the status of Scheduled Tribe. In fact, some people of Tangkhul Naga community were planning this conflict for a long time. That is why the conflict started from Naga-dominated Ukhrul."
Responding to a question on the involvement of extremists in the current violence, Kipgen said, "Tangkhul Nagas want only their dominance over the hill districts of Manipur on the ground and at the administrative level. Greater Nagalim is what the SSCN-IM has been demanding for a long time. This fight is part of that plan."
He also says, "Tangkhul is involving the entire Naga community in this conflict whereas this fight is taking place between Liangmai, Tangkhul and Kuki. In the rest of the districts there is no problem between Kuki and other Naga tribes."
SSCN-IM or National Socialist Council of Nagaland-IM, which is involved in peace talks with the Indian government, is the oldest and largest group of Naga extremists in the north-eastern states.
At present SSCN-IM is being led by Thuingaleng Muivah who is from Tangkhul tribe of Manipur.
Why is the violence not stopping?
Thousands of Assam Rifles and Indian Army personnel, including the Central Armed Police Force, have been deployed to control the ongoing caste violence in the hilly districts of Manipur.
But till now there has been no reduction in incidents related to violence.
Recently, regarding the murder of three villagers in Kangpokpi, District Superintendent of Police Rahul Gupta told BBC News Hindi, "The police have registered a case and strict action is being taken against the criminals."
Whereas an official of the Home Department of Manipur Government said, "Security agencies are taking concrete action against the criminals. Apart from this, talks are being held with both the communities in the presence of top officials of the Central Government. All steps are being taken to control the law and order situation in the state."
Meanwhile, after the consensus reached in the tripartite talks held with the Government of India and the Government of Manipur in Guwahati on Saturday, the United Naga Council (UNC) has announced to stop the economic blockade.
For the last six months, the Naga organization had imposed an economic blockade on many highways passing through the state.
"To resolve the ethnic tension and restore normalcy, top officials have held meetings with the United Naga Council in the presence of the Union Home Ministry," a state government official said.
"The cases in which innocent civilians have been murdered are being investigated separately. The NIA has also been entrusted with the investigation of some serious cases."
"We have also demanded the cancellation of the 'Suspension of Operations' agreement with some Kuki-Zomi armed groups that are inciting violence."
