Kangpokpi: The war on Kuki villages has entered classrooms. After gunning down nearly 20 Kuki civilians in Kangpokpi, Senapati, Ukhrul, Kamjong and Tamenglong since March 2026, suspected NSCN-IM cadres have now set a government primary school on fire.
Visuals from Lhungjang village in Saikul, Kangpokpi district show the scale of destruction. The green signboard reading LHUNGJANG PRIMARY SCHOOL is still hanging, but behind it the entire building is gutted. The tin roof has collapsed inward, iron frames are twisted and blackened, and thick smoke is still rising from the debris even hours after the attack. Classrooms where children sat last week are now piles of ash.
Villagers said the attack happened at around 5 am on Monday. The school, the only primary school serving the village, was set ablaze along with the house of Satminthang Hangshing. Wooden benches, blackboards, textbooks, mid-day meal utensils and the entire enrollment register were burnt.
The village has an IRB post, but locals said attackers came from the ridge side and fled towards the forest. The school stands alone in a grassy field surrounded by hills, making it an easy target at dawn.
The office of the chief of Lhungjang village said this is an attack on the future. For more than 60 children, there is now no classroom to go to before annual exams.
The Kuki Students Organisation, Twilang Block visited the site and said this marks a new dangerous phase. Till now houses and farms were attacked, now even a temple of learning is not spared.
The Kuki Village Volunteers, Twilang Lhang said the incident is part of a systematic campaign to force Kuki villagers out of Twilang area. Since March, the belt has seen firing on farmers, illegal tax collection, burning of houses and targeted killings. Nearly 20 Kuki civilians have been killed, yet no arrest has been made.
They also questioned the double standard of security forces. While a KLA village defence camp at Gampum was raided on September 7 and labelled unauthorised, NSCN-IM designated camps under ceasefire remain protected despite repeated allegations of using them to launch attacks on Kuki villages.
The groups have demanded FIR against NSCN-IM cadres and Liangmei Village Guards, deployment of central forces, compensation for the burnt school and house, and immediate reconstruction.
On Tuesday, Lhungjang remained tense. Parents refused to send children to any temporary shed without full security cover.
The burning of a school has once again proved why Kuki people are demanding Separate Administration. Without constitutional protection like a separate state or Union Territory, life, land and education will never be safe.
