Saikul: Fresh tension gripped Lhungtin Sub-Division in Kangpokpi District after armed militants allegedly launched an unprovoked and deadly attack on innocent Kuki farmers while they were ploughing their ancestral fields at C. Kholen Village. According to the latest ground reports and the official condemnation statement issued by the Media Cell of C. Kholen Village Authority, the incident took place between 7:50 AM and 8:00 AM this morning, when the farmers from Kholen Kholui had gone to their farmhouse for routine agricultural work and were suddenly fired upon from a close distance.
According to the villagers, the attackers have been identified as suspected Naga militants belonging to the Tangkhul-led NSCN-IM. The farmers have since released a video describing the terrifying incident and showing the aftermath of the alleged attack. In the video, the victims reportedly stated that the attackers fired at them from point-blank range with an intention to kill, forcing them to run for their lives and take cover in the fields.
Fortunately, no injuries or casualties have been reported so far. The C. Kholen Village Authority confirmed that by God’s grace, all the farmers are safe and have returned to the village. The identities of the attackers and the full circumstances surrounding the incident are yet to be independently verified by security forces, and further details are awaited.
The Media Cell of C. Kholen Village Authority has strongly condemned the unprovoked firing and deadly attack. The authority said the repeated targeting of Kuki civilians and their ancestral land, where they have lived since time immemorial, really disturbs peace and harmony in the region. It stated that glorification of violence cannot be justified under any circumstances.
The village authority has urged the concerned authorities to immediately provide sufficient central forces to protect the life, property and land of C. Kholen villagers. It further appealed to the Government of India to review the ongoing peace talks with the NSCN-IM, stating that its cadres are walking freely with arms and intimidating peace-loving innocent Kuki villagers.
Reaffirming its commitment to peaceful co-existence, the C. Kholen Village Authority also appealed to the neighbouring Khamson Village Authority to engage in constructive dialogue for peaceful living in the region rather than resorting to firing and bloodshed.
Background: How Kuki-Naga Conflict Started in 2026
The current Kuki-Naga tension in 2026 was not started by the Kuki community, according to local village authorities and civil society organisations. The conflict was triggered by the Naga community, beginning with land claims and restriction orders imposed on Kuki villagers in the peripheral areas of Kangpokpi and Senapati districts.
Sources from Kuki villages said that since early 2026, several Kuki villages received notices and verbal warnings from Naga groups claiming that Kuki ancestral lands fall under Naga ancestral domain. This was followed by blocking of agricultural activities, prevention of jhum cultivation, and threats to Kuki farmers who went to their own fields.
The situation escalated when Naga armed groups, particularly Tangkhul-led NSCN-IM cadres who are under ceasefire agreement with the Government of India, started patrolling Kuki areas with arms. Villagers reported multiple incidents of intimidation, firing in the air, and burning of farm huts in the months of March to July 2026, before the latest direct attack on farmers at C. Kholen.
Kuki civil bodies have stated that while Kukis are engaged in a separate conflict with Meiteis since 3rd May 2023 and are demanding separate administration, the Naga community started a new front in 2026 by targeting Kuki villages. Kuki leaders have appealed to the Government of India to intervene immediately and prevent a repeat of the 1990s Kuki-Naga clashes, and to ensure that ceasefire groups remain confined to their designated camps.
