Published : 02 Nov 2026, 12:25 PM
Updated : 02 Nov 2026, 12:25 PM
Clashes have erupted in India’s Manipur after the bodies of two Kuki men were found days after they went missing in the Kangpokpi district, reports Indian broadcaster NDTV.
A day earlier, three Kuki men had been killed in a shootout between two unidentified groups in the state’s Noney district.
The Kangpokpi victims have been identified as Paoginlal Hangsing, 20, and Tinginlun Chongloi, 20. The Committee on Tribal Unity (CoTU) had called a shutdown across the district following their disappearances.
A joint security operation recovered the bodies and brought them to the Kangpokpi District Hospital. A large crowd gathered at the location, and tensions escalated after the deaths were confirmed.
Clashes broke out in the district after the recovery of the bodies. NDTV reports that the circumstances surrounding the clashes were not immediately clear. The extent of the casualties and damage was not immediately available.
Security forces have stepped up efforts to restore order.
Police moved the bodies to the Kangpokpi superintendent of police’s office as agitated demonstrators continued protests.
Law enforcers fired several rounds of tear gas shells to disperse them.
The protesters also blocked National Highway-2. Business establishments and private institutions in the district remained shut amid the shutdown called by CoTU.
The CoTU announced that it would not claim the bodies of the two men until the government fulfilled its charter of demands, including the immediate removal of Deputy Chief Minister Losii Dikho.
Police say processing is under way and law enforcers are working to identify and apprehend those responsible. The circumstances leading to the deaths and the identities of those responsible remain under investigation.
The victims in Noney have been identified as Thanglensang Singson, Thangkhosei Haokip and Lamminsang Kipgen. Police say they were killed in an exchange of gunfire at Kekru Naga village.
Kuki Inpi Manipur (KIM), the apex body of the Kuki tribes, accused armed cadres of the deaths. It also alleged the bodies had been desecrated. KIM accused authorities of failing to provide security to Kuki-Zo settlements in Noney and demanded accountability and immediate measures to protect civilians.
Local sources told NDTV tensions had been building in the area before Saturday's fatal incident. However, it remains unclear what triggered the violence.
