Manipur security forces step up operations after fresh killings in Kangpokpi and Imphal East

Security forces in Manipur have intensified area domination patrols and launched targeted search operations across sensitive border zones following a fresh outbreak of ethnic violence that claimed four lives over 48 hours.

On Tuesday, a 45-year-old Kuki civilian, identified by local village authorities as Paolenmung Thangeo, was shot dead by unidentified gunmen while collecting bamboo shoots in a forest near Kangpokpi. A companion who was with him managed to escape unharmed. Local village authorities in P Muolding said Thangeo was an unarmed civilian.

The shooting occurred barely 24 hours after an armed ambush on Monday morning at Sunulok Hill, under the Sagolmang police station, where three Meitei firewood collectors were gunned down and three others injured while transporting timber.

Rapid security response and weapons seizure

Following the Monday ambush, combined security formations—comprising the Manipur Police, the Central Reserve Police Force, CoBRA, Assam Rifles, and the Border Security Force—swiftly mobilised to track the perpetrators.

Police arrested three suspects linked to the Kuki National Front (Nehlun faction), a group operating outside the tripartite Suspension of Operations framework. Senior police officials confirmed that during interrogation, two of the men admitted to participating in the ambush on the woodcutters, while the role of the third remains under active investigation.

The resulting search operation led to the recovery of a significant arsenal hidden by armed cadres.

In an associated security drive on Tuesday, joint teams inspected the area surrounding the designated Sinai Suspension of Operations camp. Additional Director General of Police Lhari Dorjee Lhatoo stated that 17 individuals were detained after their identities failed to match official lists of registered cadres. Security teams also discovered missing ammunition and magazines from the camp, launching a verification process to establish whether the missing stocks matched the weaponry seized earlier.

Unified command acts to maintain order

State authorities acted quickly to prevent retaliatory violence from spreading across community fault lines. The Chief Minister convened an emergency meeting of the unified command in Imphal, bringing together top brass from the Indian Army, paramilitary formations, and state police to coordinate joint security grid deployments.

The proactive security footprint comes after scattered confrontations over the weekend, including a clash in Thoubal district on Saturday night that left one person dead, an improvised explosive device blast that injured three CRPF personnel in Singjamei, and arson in Kamjong district following an earlier fatal shooting of a Kuki villager.

In response to Thangeo’s death and the arrests, civil society bodies in Kangpokpi called for a 24-hour total shutdown, while civil groups in the Imphal valley also organised protests demanding stern action against insurgent groups.

Joint security detachments have established fixed vehicle checkpoints along key highway stretches, including National Highway 202, while senior administrative officials continue to monitor sensitive border fringes between valley and hill districts to preserve stability.