In a development that sparked outrage across the Kuki-Zo community, armed assailants allegedly attacked and torched several houses in Kharam Vaiphei village in Kangpokpi district on Saturday even as thousands of Kuki-Zo people were participating in a nationwide protest demanding justice for three slain church leaders and the release of 14 hostages.
According to local sources, suspected militants belonging to the ZUF-Kamson group launched the attack on Kharam Vaiphei village at around 2:15 p.m., hurling bombs and firing sophisticated weapons at the settlement located near the Leimakhong Army Headquarters.
At least five residential houses were reportedly reduced to ashes during the assault.
The incident has triggered serious questions over the effectiveness of security deployment in the area, with villagers alleging that personnel of the 158 Battalion CRPF and the Gorkha Rifles were present in the village when the attack occurred but failed to take retaliatory action against the attackers.
Residents described the incident as a glaring security lapse, claiming armed assailants operated with impunity despite the presence of security forces tasked with protecting vulnerable villages in the conflict-affected district.
While official confirmation was awaited, sources said security personnel recovered at least three lathod bomb shell casing from the site after the attack.
The assault unfolded even as Kuki-Zo organisations were holding a nationwide rally demanding justice for three church leaders who were brutally killed on May 13 and seeking the immediate and unconditional release of 14 Kuki-Zo individuals allegedly held hostage.
News of the attack spread rapidly among protesters gathered at Kangpokpi, triggering anger and condemnation. Demonstrators accused the district administration and security establishment of failing to protect innocent civilians despite the heavy deployment of forces in sensitive areas.
Protesters specifically targeted the district police leadership, alleging a complete breakdown of security arrangements. Slogans such as “Police Failure, Village Inflamed” and “Justice for Kharam Vaiphei” echoed through the rally venue as participants demanded accountability for what they described as a preventable tragedy.
The incident has further intensified concerns among Kuki-Zo civil society groups, who argue that vulnerable villages continue to face attacks despite repeated assurances of protection by security agencies.
Adding to the controversy, community leaders questioned the silence of the authorities, noting that no official statement had been issued on the incident till late evening.
The latest violence is expected to deepen tensions in the region, with Kuki-Zo organisations demanding an impartial investigation into the attack, the alleged security failure, and the circumstances under which armed assailants were able to torch civilian homes despite the presence of security forces nearby.
The Kuki Inpi Manipur (KIM), the apex body of the Kuki tribes in Manipur, strongly condemned the burning of Kharam Vaiphei village in Kangpokpi district, alleging that the attack was carried out by the ZUF Kamson group and warning that continued aggression against Kuki-Zo communities could further destabilise the already fragile security situation in the state.
KIM described the alleged attack as a “reprehensible and provocative act” aimed at escalating tensions between Kuki and Naga communities at a time when restraint, peace and responsible conduct are most urgently needed.
The organisation said the torching of homes and attacks on civilian settlements were unacceptable and posed a direct threat to the lives, safety and security of innocent residents.
“Such deliberate acts of aggression are intended to aggravate an already volatile situation and undermine efforts toward peace and coexistence,” KIM said, while expressing concern over the growing insecurity faced by civilians in the region.
The apex tribal body asserted that despite repeated provocations and security challenges, the Kuki-Zo people had exercised maximum restraint in the larger interest of maintaining peace and communal harmony. It noted that the community had consistently chosen democratic and peaceful means even amid mounting tensions.
However, KIM cautioned that persistent attempts to intimidate, marginalise and threaten the Kuki-Zo people, their ancestral lands and their rights could not be ignored indefinitely.
“The Kuki-Zo people shall never compromise when it comes to safeguarding their lands, protecting the lives and security of their people, and defending the welfare and future of the community,” the statement said.
KIM further urged the government and security agencies to immediately intervene, conduct an impartial investigation into the incident, identify those responsible and take swift action to prevent any further deterioration of law and order.
The organisation warned that failure to act decisively against those behind such attacks would embolden forces seeking to destabilise inter-community relations and derail efforts to restore normalcy in the conflict-hit region.
Calling for accountability and urgent preventive measures, KIM stressed that the safety of civilians must remain the foremost priority of the authorities.
While reaffirming its commitment to peace, coexistence and equality, the organisation issued a stern warning that the Kuki-Zo people would not remain passive if their rights, security and collective future continued to come under threat.
The Kuki Organisation for Human Rights Trust (KOHUR), a human rights body with UN consultative status, on also launched a scathing attack on the government and security establishment over the burning of Kharam Vaiphei village in Kangpokpi district, alleging a complete failure of civilian protection and demanding accountability from both security forces and authorities.
KOHUR condemned what it described as an attack and arson carried out against the Kuki-Zo village by armed cadres of NSCN-IM and ZUF-K, terming the incident a “calculated assault” on the lives, homes and dignity of unarmed civilians.
The organisation said the latest attack exposed what it called a dangerous pattern of insecurity and impunity in the Leimakhong belt, where several Kuki-Zo villages have reportedly come under attack during the past two years.
“What makes this incident particularly alarming is that it occurred barely a day after the redeployment of Central Armed Police Force personnel into the area,” the statement said.
KOHUR questioned how a village under the protection of deployed security forces could allegedly be attacked and homes set ablaze within hours of fresh security arrangements being put in place.
“The forces tasked with maintaining law and order failed to protect civilians and their homes from armed attackers,” the organisation alleged, asserting that the incident raised serious questions about the effectiveness and preparedness of security deployments in vulnerable areas.
The rights body further accused the government of displaying sustained indifference towards the security concerns of Kuki-Zo communities residing in the Leimakhong region. It claimed that despite repeated attacks on villages over the past two years, no significant action had been taken against those responsible.
According to KOHUR, the absence of arrests and prosecutions in previous incidents has emboldened armed groups and left villagers living in a state of perpetual fear and vulnerability.
The organisation alleged that recurring attacks followed a disturbing pattern in which armed groups struck with impunity while security agencies failed to either prevent violence or ensure justice afterwards.
“Selective inaction of this nature is not neutrality—it amounts to complicity through omission,” the statement said.
Demanding immediate intervention, KOHUR called for an independent, time-bound investigation into the attack, with findings made public. It also sought the identification, arrest and prosecution of those allegedly involved in the burning of Kharam Vaiphei and previous attacks in the Leimakhong belt.
The organisation additionally demanded accountability for the alleged failure of deployed CAPF personnel to protect civilians despite their presence in the area and called for permanent, impartial security cover for vulnerable Kuki-Zo villages.
KOHUR also urged the Government of India, the National Human Rights Commission and international human rights bodies to take cognisance of what it described as a continuing campaign of violence against the Kuki-Zo people and ensure an end to the cycle of impunity.
Calling for rehabilitation and compensation for affected families, the organisation asserted that the Kuki-Zo people “will not be erased through fire and silence” and reaffirmed its commitment to pursuing justice and protection of fundamental human rights.
Meanwhile, the Kuki Students’ Organisation (KSO), South West Sadar Hills Block, strongly condemned an attack on Kharam Vaiphei village in Kangchup Geljang Sub-Division of Manipur’s Kangpokpi district, alleging that several houses were torched by armed assailants despite the presence of central security forces in the area.
The student body described the incident as a grave security failure and questioned how an attack could take place even as security agencies were conducting operations in the region.
The organisation said the violence occurred amid heightened tensions following the recent ambush on civilians and the killing of three Kuki-Zo church leaders between Kotlen and Kotjim, incidents that have triggered widespread outrage and protests across Kuki-Zo inhabited areas.
According to KSO South West Sadar Hills, armed groups allegedly linked to NSCN-IM’s ZUF-K faction targeted Kuki-Zo settlements in Kharam Vaiphei and set multiple houses ablaze. The organisation claimed the attack took place despite the deployment of central forces, including personnel involved in combing operations in the area.
Calling the incident a “serious lapse in security,” the KSO questioned how law enforcement agencies failed to prevent a fresh outbreak of violence after the arrest of four suspects in connection with the abduction of six Liangmai civilians, a development that authorities had projected as a step toward restoring normalcy.
“The burning of civilian homes under the watch of security forces raises disturbing questions about the effectiveness of measures being taken to protect vulnerable villages,” the statement said.
The organisation asserted that the Kuki community had consistently cooperated with authorities in efforts to restore law and order and had welcomed the intervention of both state and central forces in addressing recent incidents of violence. It argued that such cooperation should have translated into stronger protection for civilians rather than renewed attacks on villages.
KSO further demanded an explanation from central security agencies regarding what it described as “one-sided security arrangements” that allegedly allowed arson and vandalism to occur unchecked.
Holding security agencies responsible for maintaining peace and stability in the region, the organisation urged immediate and decisive action to prevent further escalation, ensure the safety of residents, and bring those responsible for the attack to justice.
The Hills Journal
K. Salbung, Churachandpur
Manipur-795128
