Ukhrul conflict: 17-year-old girl injured in fresh firing

A 17-year-old girl sustained bullet injuries on Monday as gun violence continued to escalate in Manipur’s Ukhrul district. The incident occurred in the Litan area, where tensions between the Tangkhul (Naga) and Kuki tribes have flared up in recent days.
Reports indicated that the girl was struck on her ankle during firing near Mongkot Chepu, a Kuki village under Litan police station. She was among a group of around 20 villagers, including women, working in the fields when the incident took place. The injured girl was given first aid and later shifted to a hospital in Kangpokpi district for further treatment.
While Kuki civil society groups claimed the villagers were engaged in agricultural activities at Lengthei Mol farming area, the Tangkhul Naga Foothills Organization (TNFO) strongly refuted this. The Kuki CSO Working Committee Ukhrul alleged that armed Tangkhul men had targeted villagers, leaving them trapped in the fields.
In response, the TNFO issued a statement rejecting the claims, asserting that “visual evidence strongly suggests structured digging activity was carried out for the construction of drains and bunkers by Kuki volunteers, reportedly led by Kuki militants along with their women’s wing under the Suspension of Operations (SoO) arrangement.” The organization further alleged that bunkers were being constructed above NH-202 (Imphal-Ukhrul Road), from where attacks on Tangkhul villagers had been launched.
The TNFO cautioned against misleading narratives in the conflict, warning that such claims could erode public trust and create a false sense of victimhood.
The situation in Ukhrul remains tense, with both sides trading accusations amid continuing gunfire in the region.