In Manipur, a mob protests against the hospital treatment of 3 Kukis injured in an armed attack

Protesters run as security personnel fire teargas shells to disperse a crowd during a protest demanding the denial of medical treatment to three Kuki youths admitted with injuries sustained in a gunfight at the main gate of RIMS Hospital on Monday (June 15, 2026). | Photo credit: ANI

Security personnel on Monday (June 15, 2026) wielded batons and fired tear gas to disperse a mob that had gathered outside the Regional Institute of Medical Sciences (RIMS) in Manipur’s capital Imphal to oppose the treatment given at the hospital to three Kukis injured in the attack.

Officials in the conflict-scarred state said the three were injured in a gunfight at a site between Leilon Vaiphei and Konsakhul villages in Kangpokpi district at about 6am. The gunfight continued for about 30 minutes before security forces arrived at the scene.

Kuki Inpi Manipur (KIM), the apex body of the Kuki tribal group, blamed the attack on the National Socialist Council of Nagalim (NSCN) and its “proxies”, the Kamson faction of the Zeliangrong United Front. The NSCN is also known as the Isak-Muivah faction of the Nagaland National Socialist Council.

A crowd gathered outside RIMS after receiving word that security forces had taken three injured Kukis there for treatment. The crowd protested the treatment of the trio, claiming they were extremists, and shouted slogans against the security forces for “transporting” them to RIMS.

However, Kuki organizations claimed that the injured — teenagers Genlengmang Vaiphei and Paogoulal and 20-year-old Lunliandaw Vaiphei — were students who were volunteering in the village.

In response to the protests, the main organization of the Leimakhong area (in the Kuki-dominated Kangpokpi district) urged the authorities to ensure that they receive medical care in a safe environment.

KIM also expressed concern for the safety of the injured trio, saying attacks against civilians were unacceptable, inhumane and a direct threat to the rule of law. “The people of Leilon Vaiphei and surrounding areas cannot be expected to live in fear while armed groups continue to operate with apparent freedom and impunity,” it said.

It demanded immediate and decisive action from the government and security forces to identify, arrest and prosecute all those involved in the attack.

“This is not a one-off incident. The pattern is clear; attacks on our villages continue day after day, deliberately targeting civilian settlements and spreading terror among innocent people,” the Vaiphei People’s Council said.

Ethnic conflict in Manipur began in May 2023 between the non-tribal Meitei people who dominate the Imphal Valley and the Kuki-Zo people who largely inhabit the surrounding hills. Last February, the conflict shifted to the hill districts between the Kuki-Zo and the Nagas, mostly hill dwellers.

The conflict in the hills has intensified since May 13, when unidentified gunmen ambushed and killed three Thadou church leaders in Kangpokpi district. The Thadousu section abhors being lumped into the Kuki group.

The killing of the church leaders triggered a hostage crisis between the Kukis and the Nagas. Alleged Kuki extremists abducted 18 Nagas from Leilon Vaiphei village on May 13.

While 12 of them were released on May 15, the “mutilated and dismembered” bodies of six of them were found last week, sparking anger among the Nagas.

More than 270 people have lost their lives and over 62,000 have been displaced in ethnic conflicts in Manipur so far.

Published – 15 Jun 2026 22:22 IST