Four people, including three Hindu Meiteis, have been killed and several others injured in fresh violence in Manipur. Security forces have stepped up operations in affected areas amid fears of further unrest.
The violence began on 18 October when unidentified people threw stones at a musical event in Khangabok Pali Bazar in Thoubal district. One person was shot dead and several others were injured in the violence that followed.
On the same day, three security personnel were seriously injured when an improvised explosive device exploded at Kakwa Lamdaibung Lampak, near Singjamai police station in Imphal West district.
The following day, unidentified armed men opened fire on Meitei villagers who were cutting and transporting firewood at Sunulok Hill in Imphal East district. Three people were killed and three others injured in the attack.
The killings sparked angry protests in the Meitei-majority valley districts, including the state capital, Imphal. Protesters brought the victims’ bodies to the residence of Chief Minister Yumnam Khemchand Singh, demanding action against those responsible and stronger protection for civilians.
Police forcibly dispersed the protesters and removed the bodies as security was tightened across the affected areas.
Lhari Dorjee Lhatoo, additional director general of police, said extra forces had been deployed to restore order. These included the Rapid Action Force, Central Reserve Police Force, Assam Rifles and state police. The injured had been taken for medical treatment, he told reporters.
Authorities had received information about those suspected of involvement in the attacks, and investigations were under way, Lhatoo said. Operations involving state police, military and paramilitary forces were continuing. Security personnel were also using sniffer dogs, drones and helicopters for surveillance. He urged residents to cooperate with the forces and report any suspicious activity.
The latest attacks have raised fears that Manipur’s prolonged conflict could spread to another front involving Meiteis and Meitei Pangals, the state’s Muslim community. Local reports said one of those killed in the recent violence was Muslim.
The developments have heightened concerns in a state already deeply affected by more than three years of ethnic violence between the predominantly Hindu Meiteis and the indigenous Kuki-Zo communities, most of whom are Christians.
The wider conflict erupted on 3 May 2023, when a protest against a court-backed proposal to grant the Meiteis official tribal status turned violent. More than 260 people have been killed and around 60,000 displaced, most of them Christians, according to figures cited in previous reports.
Meanwhile, tensions between the indigenous Naga and Kuki communities have also increased since February 2026. The situation worsened after two Naga men were killed in an ambush on 18 April. Nagas blamed Kukis for the killings, but the Kuki community denied involvement. Local accounts say the clashes that followed have claimed more than 60 lives.
There had been no reports of major violence between Meiteis and Kuki-Zo communities since the Naga-Kuki conflict intensified. However, the latest attacks have raised fresh concerns about the security situation and relations between the state’s major communities.
“With the fresh violence targeting Meiteis and Muslims by unidentified armed persons, the state has been pushed into a volatile situation where all major communities are at war with each other,” a church leader who requested anonymity told UCA News on 20 October.
“We were hoping for peace and praying for it, but now the situation is going from bad to worse, and no one can predict what will happen next,” the leader said.
Indigenous Christians account for about 41 per cent of Manipur’s population of 3.2 million, while Meiteis make up around 53 per cent and dominate the state administration.
Based on reporting by UCA News.
