Tamenglong: A Kuki woman was brutally killed after armed cadres of NSCN-IM allegedly launched a pre-dawn attack on Tollen, a remote Kuki village in Tamenglong district, around 4:00 am today. The assault took place on the very morning the community marks Sahnit-Ni, the Kuki Black Day, observed every year on September 13 to remember victims of the 1990s violence, villagers and community leaders said.
According to preliminary information shared by local sources, a group of armed cadres entered the village when most residents were still asleep and opened indiscriminate fire. In the attack, one Kuki woman, whose identity is being verified by authorities, was killed on the spot. Several houses were also reported to have been damaged as residents fled towards nearby forest areas for safety. Security forces have been rushed to the area and are conducting search operations, officials said.
The timing of the attack has deepened the shock across Manipur’s hill districts. September 13 is observed as Sahnit-Ni to commemorate the Joupi massacre of September 13, 1993, when over a hundred Kuki civilians were killed in a single day in Churachandpur district. Community organisations say the 1990s conflict led to the deaths of nearly 1,000 Kuki civilians, the uprooting of about 360 villages and displacement of nearly one lakh people.
For the residents of Tollen, today’s violence has revived memories of that period. Tollen is a small, isolated village located near the tri-junction of Tamenglong, Kangpokpi and Noney districts, an area that has witnessed repeated friction over the past eight months. Local leaders alleged that Kuki farmers in the belt including Makui, L Phaijang and adjoining villages have been prevented from entering their paddy fields, subjected to assault and extortion at illegal checkpoints. The Kuki History and Identity Protection Committee recently claimed to have documented at least 17 such incidents since January 2026.
The attack also comes days after a fresh war of words between community bodies over killings along IT Road in Kangpokpi. The United Naga Council had described four persons killed on IT Road as innocent Liangmai civilians and demanded justice. The KHIPC rejected the claim, asserting that the four were armed NSCN-IM cadres and not civilians, and accused UNC of maintaining silence when Kuki farmers were attacked. Police are yet to issue an official statement on the identity and affiliation of those killed in the IT Road incident.
In response to today’s Tollen incident, Kuki civil society organisations have strongly condemned the alleged attack and described it as a targeted assault on defenceless villagers. They said that attacking a village on Black Day itself is seen as a deliberate attempt to wound the community’s collective memory and intimidate villagers who have already been living under fear. They have demanded immediate intervention by the Centre and state government, deployment of adequate security forces in Tollen and neighbouring villages, and a thorough investigation.
Till late afternoon, there was no official response from NSCN-IM regarding the allegations. Security officials in Tamenglong said they have taken note of the reports and a joint team of police and central forces has been sent to Tollen to verify facts, assess the situation and prevent any retaliation. The district administration is also said to be coordinating relief measures for families who fled the village after the firing.
The Kuki Inpi and other Kuki bodies have reiterated their long-standing demand that justice for victims of the 1990s violence must be addressed before any final settlement with Naga groups. They argue that without accountability for past atrocities including killings, sexual violence and burning of villages, the cycle of insecurity continues. Successive memorandums submitted to the Centre over the years have sought recognition of the victims, rehabilitation of displaced families and protection of vulnerable villages in mixed-populated areas.
Meanwhile, security has been tightened across Tamenglong, Kangpokpi and Noney districts following the incident. Additional checkpoints have been set up along IT Road and patrols intensified in remote villages to avoid further escalation. Police said the situation in Tollen is now under control but remains tense, and appealed to all communities to maintain peace and not spread unverified information on social media.
The death of the Kuki woman at Tollen on Black Day has once again brought focus to the unresolved legacy of the Kuki-NSCN-IM conflict of the 1990s and the continuing vulnerability of remote Kuki villages. For the families in Tollen and for thousands who gather today to mourn the Joupi victims of 1993, the pre-dawn attack serves as a grim reminder that the wounds of history remain open, and that lasting peace will require justice, protection and sincere dialogue.
