Indiscriminate Firing Forces Women, Children to Flee Into Jungle in Manipur’s Chassad; Villagers Spend Night in Terror

Panic and fear gripped Chassad Kuki village in Manipur’s Kamjong district on Wednesday evening after alleged indiscriminate firing forced terrified residents—mostly women and children—to flee their homes and seek refuge deep inside nearby forest areas.

According to accounts emerging from the ground and a widely circulated video, the violence erupted at around 5 pm, when armed assailants reportedly opened fire towards the village, with bullets striking residential houses and even a church, leaving villagers with no time to gather belongings or ensure basic safety.

What followed was a desperate and harrowing exodus.

Women clutching infants, children and the elderly were seen gathering inside the jungle. By nightfall, the displaced villagers huddled together in darkness, surrounded by uncertainty and fear.

The viral footage, recorded by a local resident, captures the sheer helplessness of the situation. The voice behind the camera, trembling yet urgent, describes the unfolding crisis, stating that even hours after the initial firing, at around 8 pm, families remained stranded inside the forest, with no protection, no lighting, and no immediate assistance.

“The women and children are suffering the most,” the man says in the video, as visuals show mothers holding their children tightly, some carrying babies on their backs, trying to shield them from the fear. Young children, visibly exhausted, cling to their mothers, while others sit silently, too shaken to even cry.

The resident alleged that armed Tangkhul groups began firing towards the village around 5:40 pm using automatic weapons and other firearms. “Bullets hit our homes and even the church. We could no longer stay—we had to run for our lives,” he said.

The situation of women and children has emerged as particularly distressing. Mothers were seen struggling to comfort their children in the forest, infants, exposed to the elements, remained vulnerable, while older children appeared traumatised by the sudden violence and displacement.

The man recording the video made an emotional appeal to the government and authorities for urgent intervention, stressing that innocent civilians—especially women and children—were bearing the brunt of the violence.

“We are completely helpless. Please come to our rescue and stop this violence,” he pleaded.

The fresh episode has once again highlighted the fragile security situation in Manipur’s hill districts, where civilians continue to live under the constant threat of violence, with women and children often emerging as the most vulnerable victims of such conflicts.