Naga-Kuki crossfire: CRPF sub-inspector shot at in Manipur

A Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) sub-inspector, Pradeep Singh, was shot in the left foot during a recent conflict along the border between Senapati and Kangpokpi districts in Manipur. Singh, assigned to the 36th Battalion, was stationed at an outpost in Matanmai Naga village, Senapati, near the border with Taphou Kuki in Kangpoki district.

Preliminary reports suggest the sub-inspector was caught in crossfire between the Naga and Kuki villages. Singh is currently receiving treatment at the District Hospital in Senapati.

The violence erupted around 2:40 am in Taphou Kuki, where unidentified individuals allegedly set a house ablaze. Emergency services arrived at the scene by 3:30 am. Additional incidents occurred around 4 am in the Mareimei area, located on the Senapati side, where a house belonging to Nagas was burned down and another demolished. The situation intensified at 9 am with gunfire, leading to the deployment of security forces in Taphou and surrounding areas.

The ongoing unrest has disrupted traffic on NH-2, the Imphal-Dimapur highway connecting Manipur and Nagaland. Transport services on this route were only restored last Friday, following a three-year hiatus caused by ethnic violence that began in May 2023.