One person was killed and five others, including two village chiefs and three Village Authority members, sustained bullet injuries in an alleged broad daylight attack by NSCN-IM cadres on Chassad village in Manipur’s Kamjong district on Saturday, prompting the Committee on Tribal Unity (CoTU) to demand the immediate deployment of central security forces to protect vulnerable Kuki-Zo settlements.
The deceased was identified as Seikhohao Haokip, 35, son of Thangchon Haokip and a resident of Chassad village. He was also known locally as a prominent YouTuber.
According to local residents, Seikhohao was killed when armed NSCN-IM cadres allegedly opened fire on the village from the direction of Chassad Police Station using sophisticated weapons. His body had not been recovered till the filing of this report, they said.
The injured were identified as Chassad village chief Thangjahao Haokip; Phungtha (Kachouphung-Kuki) village chief Seipao Haokip; Chassad Village Authority Secretary Thanggin Thouthang; and Village Authority members ST. Khailun Haokip and Seikhohao.
Seipao Haokip had reportedly been living as an internally displaced person (IDP) after being forced to flee his native village amid alleged threats and violence involving NSCN-IM cadres and Tangkhul groups.
All five injured were taken to a nearby Army camp in Chassad for medical treatment.
According to local residents, the power lines supplying Chassad village had allegedly been deliberately damaged by neighbouring Tangkhuls, leaving the village without electricity. The villagers subsequently went to repair the lines, hoping that the security personnel deployed in the area would be sufficient to deter any potential attack. However, they were allegedly ambushed.
The Sadar Hills-based tribal body, expressed deep anguish and condemned what it described as the cowardly attack by armed Tangkhul-led militants on innocent civilians, including two village chiefs.
The committee alleged that the attack reflected a deliberate pattern of repression aimed at driving the Kuki-Zo community out of Kamjong and Ukhrul districts, which have substantial Tangkhul populations. It attributed the violence to armed Tangkhul militants associated with NSCN-IM.
Questioning the silence of elected representatives, the CoTU asked where the legislators who frequently advocate accountability and high moral standards on social media and mainstream news platforms were when members of other communities faced violence.
The committee urged the incumbent legislators from Ukhrul, Kamjong, Noney and Tamei to rein in armed groups operating in their respective areas, particularly NSCN-IM and what it described as the Myanmar-based Naga Eastern Flank, alleging that both were led by Tangkhul cadres.
It warned that continued attacks on civilians risked irreparably damaging longstanding inter-community relations and deepening the cycle of violence.
The CoTU appealed to the state government to urgently deploy central security forces to safeguard minority villages, particularly Chassad, in Kamjong district, warning that failure to protect civilians could further aggravate tensions and fuel retaliatory sentiments among the affected community.
There was no immediate independent confirmation of the circumstances of the killing or the allegations against NSCN-IM. Further details on the security forces’ response and the recovery of the deceased’s body were awaited.