Additional security forces were deployed on Wednesday in the peripheral areas of Manipur’s Bishnupur district, a day after unidentified persons opened fire near the sensitive Torbung–Phougakchao Ikhai belt, officials said, heightening tensions in the already restive state. According to officials, several rounds of gunshots were fired around 9 pm on Tuesday near Torbung and Phougakchao Ikhai, areas bordering Churachandpur district. No injuries were reported in the incident.
“The situation remains calm but tense, and there have been no reports of fresh firing. As a precautionary measure, additional security forces have been deployed in the peripheral areas of Bishnupur,” a senior official said, adding that an investigation is underway though no arrests have been made so far. Torbung and Phougakchao Ikhai were among the areas where ethnic violence first erupted on May 3, 2023, between the Meitei and Kuki communities. The area continues to be regarded as highly sensitive.
Meanwhile, several internally displaced persons (IDPs)—particularly women and children—who had returned to their homes near Phougakchao Ikhai after nearly two years, were forced to flee once again following the firing incident and have taken shelter elsewhere, officials said.
The firing occurred just hours after Director General of Police Rajiv Singh visited Churachandpur district and held meetings with senior officers. According to a police statement, Singh chaired a comprehensive review meeting to assess the prevailing security situation and preparedness in the region. Reacting strongly to the incident, the Kuki-Zo Council expressed grave concern over the firing at the Torbung buffer zone, recalling that the violence of May 3, 2023, originated in the same area. The council noted that Torbung witnessed the first killing of the conflict, when Pastor Sehkhohao Kipgen was beaten to death in public, and that 45 Kuki-Zo lives were lost in the first two days of violence.
The council criticised the Bishnupur Deputy Commissioner’s decision to facilitate the resettlement of Meitei IDPs in the Torbung buffer zone, calling it “irresponsible and provocative.” It warned that allowing resettlement in such a volatile area could lead to renewed conflict. The council also questioned the sequence of events preceding Tuesday night’s firing, citing visits by COCOMI leaders to Meitei IDPs in Torbung Mamang Leikai, followed by a public meeting organised by Arambai Tenggol, and the subsequent firing incident.
Rejecting any attempt to blame the Kuki-Zo community for the renewed tensions, the council stated that the community has consistently exercised restraint and respected buffer-zone arrangements. It described recent developments as provocative actions that threaten peace during the Christmas season. Stating that the Manipur crisis is political in nature and not merely a law-and-order issue, the Kuki-Zo Council urged the Government of India to recognise the realities on the ground and provide a separate administrative arrangement for the Kuki-Zo people as a long-term solution to the conflict.
