Imphal: Tension gripped parts of Manipur’s hill districts on Monday after suspected militants set fire to several houses and farmhouses in Kangpokpi district, officials said.
The incident occurred in K Songlung village, a Kuki-dominated area, on Monday afternoon.
Police said the scale of damage was still being assessed as security forces, including personnel of the Assam Rifles, rushed to the area following reports of arson. Authorities said more details were awaited as operations continued on the ground.
Militant outfit Zeliangrong United Front (ZUF) later claimed responsibility for the incident, alleging that the targeted houses and farm structures were linked to illegal poppy cultivation.
In a statement, the group said it had stepped up what it described as a campaign against poppy farming, narcotics trafficking and encroachment within what it called the ancestral and customary territory of the Zeliangrong Inpui Naga people.
According to the outfit, enforcement action was carried out around 12.15 pm after what it said were repeated warnings and opportunities for “peaceful compliance”.
ZUF claimed that farmhouses, cultivation plots and materials allegedly used for poppy farming were destroyed during the operation.
The group further alleged that illegal cultivation posed a threat to public safety, indigenous land rights and the future of the region.
ZUF is an armed group active mainly in Tamenglong and Noney districts, with reported presence in parts of Kangpokpi.
It claims to be fighting for the protection of land and rights of the Zeliangrong Naga community.
The incident has drawn sharp reactions from Kuki civil society groups. The Kangpokpi-based Committee on Tribal Unity (COTU) demanded that the state government identify and arrest those responsible within 24 hours.
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Warning of escalation, the organisation said it would impose a complete shutdown of National Highway-2, connecting Imphal and Dimapur, from midnight of January 27 to midnight of January 28 if its demand was not met.
In its statement, COTU alleged that villages on the outskirts of Kangpokpi district were increasingly being treated as “soft targets” by ZUF factions and said it would not be responsible for any consequences arising from the situation.
Adding to the political reactions, Congress Kuki leader Lamtinthang Haokip alleged that militants belonging to the ZUF (Kamson faction) and the NSCN (IM) were involved in the arson.
In a post on X, he said that while the rest of the country was celebrating the 77th Republic Day, K Songlung village had been “reduced to ashes” by armed groups.
Authorities said security had been tightened in the area to prevent further escalation and maintain law and order.
