Kuki village torched in Manipur’s Noney district in a pre-dawn attack

Leikot village in Noney district after the attack. Photo: Special arrangement.

The trail of violence in Manipur widened after an armed group attacked and set fire to Kuki village in Noney district around 5 am on Thursday (July 2, 2026).

The Kuki Inpi (amount authority) of Jiribam, Tamenglong and Noney districts claimed that suspected members of the National Socialist Council of Nagalim (NSCN) carried out an “unprovoked” pre-dawn attack on Leikot Kuki village and razed it to ashes.

The NSCN is also known as the Isak-Muivah faction of the National Socialist Council of Nagaland, one of the oldest extremist groups in the northeastern region.

Kuki Inpi said volunteers from the village, armed with licensed single-barreled firearms and limited resources, tried to defend the village but were overwhelmed by the attackers, who used automatic rifles and mortar shells.

The incident occurred more than 200 km west of the Indo-Myanmar border, where Naga armed groups reportedly set Phaimol Kuki village on fire and Kuki extremists reportedly destroyed Huimin Thana and Kherongram villages in a retaliatory attack. The villages along the international border are in Kamjong District.

Thursday’s attack indicated the widening of the Kuki-Naga conflict zone, which started in Ukhrul district and spread to the adjoining districts of Kamjong and Kangpokpi.

Condemning the attack on the Leilot Kuki village, the Kuki Inpi questioned the lack of security measures in vulnerable areas of Noney district and demanded immediate government intervention. It also sought a thorough and impartial investigation into such attacks to identify and punish those responsible.

The NSCN did not respond, but Naga civil society organizations said the Kukis may have staged the incident in Noney village.

Published – 02 Jul 2026 20:52 IST