Guwahati, Apr 24: At least three people were killed in separate incidents of violence in Ukhrul district on Friday, as fresh clashes involving armed groups, heavy gunfire, and alleged arson intensified tensions in the hill district.
Police sources said central forces recovered two bodies in combat gear around 11:25 am from a road between Mullam and Shonhphal villages under Litan Police Station while moving towards the affected area. The identities of the deceased are yet to be officially confirmed.
Kuki civil society groups, however, claimed the two were “village volunteers” killed in a pre-dawn attack allegedly carried out by suspected Naga armed militants targeting Kuki-inhabited villages. The Kuki Organisation for Human Rights Trust said the attack began around 5:30 am, when armed assailants reportedly opened indiscriminate fire and set houses ablaze in Mullam and Shongphal villages while residents were asleep. Several civilians, including women and children, were reported injured.
In a counter-claim, the Tangkhul Naga Long said a Naga Village Guard (NVG), identified as Horshokmi Jamang (29) from Chatrick Khullen village in Kamjong district, was killed earlier in the morning near Sinakeithei village. The body alleged that he was ambushed by Kuki cadres under Suspension of Operations (SoO) while on patrol between Sirarakhong and Sinakeithei following reports of militant movement.
Local accounts suggest gunfire began around midnight, subsided briefly, and resumed with intensity around dawn, continuing for several hours and triggering widespread panic. The Mullam Village Authority described the incident as a “full-scale armed attack,” claiming at least two persons were seriously injured, with additional casualties feared but unconfirmed.
The authority also flagged a pattern of recent violence, including reported firing on farmers on April 19 and April 21, warning that repeated incidents have created an atmosphere of fear and insecurity in the region.
Amid the escalating situation, large groups of women staged road blockades at Yaingangpokpi Bazar, disrupting traffic along routes leading to Ukhrul and protesting the continuing violence.
Security forces have been deployed in the area, and the situation remains tense.
