World · South & Central Asia · 1 hr ago
A village brawl opened a new front in Manipur’s Naga-Kuki conflict
A February 7 fight in Litan village in Manipur’s Ukhrul district became the starting point of a new wave of Naga-Kuki violence.
Naga man Stalin Shimrey says a torchlight upset three Kuki men, who later returned with others and attacked him and his friend.
Kuki woman Nemneikim Baite disputes that account, saying her brother was confronted first and punched Shimrey during the fight.
Shimrey suffered a broken jaw and was in hospital for about two months.
The clashes have killed 65 people and displaced thousands, adding to at least 363 deaths from ethnic violence in Manipur over three years.
Naga-Kuki tensions had been overshadowed by the Meitei-Kuki conflict that began in 2023, but violence has since spread across districts, with security forces tasked with keeping the communities apart.
A brawl in Litan village on February 7 opened a new front in Manipur’s Naga-Kuki conflict.
The events that night remain contested, with conflicting accounts of who started the fight and what followed.
Violence later spread across Manipur’s districts, with Nagas and Kukis ransacking villages, laying ambushes and mutilating bodies.
The clashes have claimed 65 lives, including three in Noney district, according to Hindustan Times.
Thousands have been displaced, and the wider ethnic violence in Manipur has killed at least 363 people over three years.
- Who
- Naga and Kuki residents were involved in the brawl and the ensuing conflict.
- What
- A village brawl opened a new front in Manipur’s Naga-Kuki conflict.
- When
- February 7; the year is not stated directly.
- Where
- Litan village in Ukhrul district, Manipur.
- Why
- The accounts of how the brawl began and what followed are disputed; it exposed long-standing Naga-Kuki fault lines.
Stalin Shimrey
Nemneikim Baite
Who began the confrontation
Stalin Shimrey
Shimrey said three drunk Kuki men confronted his friend after a torch was flashed at them.
Nemneikim Baite
Baite said her brother was returning home when a torch was flashed in his face, after which Shimrey and Kasar abused him.
How the fight unfolded
Stalin Shimrey
Shimrey said the men left, then returned with seven or eight others and beat Kasar; he was punched when he intervened.
Nemneikim Baite
Baite said she and her husband came out to help her brother, and that her brother punched Shimrey after being hit.
A brawl took place in Litan village, leaving Stalin Shimrey with a broken jaw.
Violence spread across Manipur’s districts, with Naga-Kuki clashes claiming lives and displacing thousands.
- Village
- Litan
- District
- Ukhrul
- Injured man
- Stalin Shimrey, 48
- Shimrey’s injury
- Broken jaw; hospitalised for around two months
- Naga-Kuki clashes
- 65 lives claimed, according to Hindustan Times
- Wider Manipur ethnic-violence toll
- At least 363 people over three years
What people are saying
We saw our friend Akamboi across the road flashing a torchlight to help us. He was slightly drunk and waving the torch around. The light fell on the faces of three Kuki men, who were also drunk. They got angry and confronted him.
My brother was returning home after visiting us when Akamboi flashed a torch in his face. Stalin and Kasar, whom I know, began abusing him.