IMPHAL, Oct 22: Abandoned houses in yet another village near the Indo-Myanmar border in Manipur’s Kamjong district were set ablaze on Tuesday.
Reports said suspected militants torched abandoned houses at Pilong, a Tangkhul Naga village, at around 3.30 pm.
No casualties were reported in the latest arson attack, as the villagers had already fled their homes following repeated threats and attacks over the past few days. Pilong, located between Border Pillars 91 and 92 along the Indo-Myanmar border, has effectively become a ghost village since an armed assault on September 24 left four villagers dead.
Notably, the attack on the Tangkhul Naga village came barely a day after Manipur Director General of Police (DGP) Mukhesh Singh visited the violence-hit border district.
During the visit, the DGP and senior officers accompanying him met representatives of Kuki and Naga civil society organisations (CSOs) and discussed measures to restore peace and normalcy in the district.
The arson attack on Pilong also occurred within 24 hours of a similar incident at Khoikai, a Kuki village under Chassad Police Station in the same district, where several abandoned houses were razed.
Meanwhile, amid escalating Naga-Kuki tensions, the authority of a Naga village in Kangpokpi district on Tuesday alleged that a group of Kuki individuals was attempting to encroach on its land by constructing houses. The Chawangkining Village Authority sought the immediate intervention of the Kangpokpi district administration to stop what it described as encroachment on village land and unauthorised construction activities.
In a complaint submitted to the Deputy Commissioner (DC) of Kangpokpi, the village authority alleged that around 30 to 40 Kuki refugees, reportedly from the Kangpokpi and Moahing areas, had arrived and begun preparations to construct a house on a vacant plot above the Chawangkining football ground.
The authority objected to the construction, asserting that the land belongs to local landowners, and urged the district administration to intervene immediately to prevent further escalation of tensions. Chawangkining village was itself subjected to armed attacks on September 15 and 16, during which several houses were burned or damaged. The village authority alleged that the attacks targeted civilians and their property, causing fear, insecurity and financial hardship among residents.
It further stated that the reported attempt to construct a house on the disputed plot had heightened concerns in an already sensitive situation.
The authority urged the Deputy Commissioner to take immediate steps to halt the alleged unauthorised construction and prevent further escalation.
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