Photo Courtesy: nenow
Imphal: The Committee on Tribal Unity (CoTU) has ordered a 24-hour shutdown of National Highway-2, the Imphal-Dimapur Road, starting 5 am on September 1 and ending 5 am on September 2. The move follows a violent raid on Teikhang village along the IT Road Monday morning. Approximately 50 armed men stormed the village at 8 am, torching homes and firing on residents. Three people died: Tingneichin Lhoujum, 40, Hoineng Lhoujem, 21, and Lamthinthang Lhoujem, 36. Four others, identified as Nemneichong Lhoujem, 50, Seilun Lhoujem, 70, Deilhing Haokip, 55, and Kamtinsei Chongloi, 38, remain in critical condition. Schools, hospitals, banks, fire stations, and utility departments are exempt from the blockade.
CoTU accuses the NSCN-IM and ZUF of orchestrating the massacre. This bloodshed marks a sharp escalation in a region already scarred by prior violence, including the deaths of four Naga civilians in an August 27 ambush and the killing of two Liangmai Naga individuals at Langka village on August 14. Thousands of protesters marched from Nute Kailhang to the ADC office on August 31 to demand government action. During the protest, the group submitted a memorandum to Deputy Chief Minister Nemcha Kipgen.
The memorandum demands the immediate removal of checkpoints at Thonglang, Chawangkaning, and Taphou Naga, which the group claims have stifled the movement of food and medicine to Kuki-Zo areas since mid-May 2026. Protesters also called for the full activation of police stations in Chalwa, Leimakhong, and Kangchup. They specifically requested guaranteed safe passage for ambulances to the Tujang Vaichong Primary Health Centre and the deployment of central forces in vulnerable areas like Chalwa, S. Songpibung, and Thenjang.
CoTU spokesperson Ng Lun Kipgen said, "If the government wants and is sincere enough to resolve this issue, I think the first step is to open the unconstitutional blockade being carried out by a section of the Liangmei Naga community and deploy Central Security Forces in the fringe areas bordering the warring communities." The group further demanded an end to jurisdictional overreach by Senapati district police within the Kangpokpi revenue territory, specifically mentioning Taphou Kuki and Hengbung villages.
Updated at 2nd September 2026 at 1:47am
Violence surged in the Twilang area on the morning of September 1 as armed groups targeted Tapon Khunou, Tapon Khullen, and Makui Pipuram villages. Local reports and police confirm at least 30 houses were set ablaze and one villager suffered a gunshot injury. The Makui Village Authority accused Kuki militants of initiating the assault, claiming the attackers opened fire and burned food grains and property in a bid to displace Liangmai Naga residents. Additional security forces, including the CRPF and CoBRA units, have since deployed to the area.
Chief Minister Yumnam Khemchand Singh condemned the initial Teikhang village massacre via social media, promising legal action against the culprits. However, the state remains gripped by overlapping agitations. Beyond the CoTU shutdown, the Campaign for Just and Fair Delimitation enforced a 24-hour statewide strike in valley districts to demand a firm NRC roadmap before any Census. These competing blockades have paralyzed transport, shuttered markets, and left major highways deserted.
The High Court has ordered the Census process suspended until at least October 12. Despite this, tensions remain high as CoTU spokesperson Ng Lun Kipgen warned the state government to act decisively to prevent a repeat of the 2023 violence. Kipgen stated that if the administration fails to provide a satisfactory response to the current security crisis, the group will move toward more extreme forms of agitation.
Updated at 2nd September 2026 at 9:46pm
Fresh accounts from the ground reveal the scale of destruction across the T. Waichong Sub-Division. Liangmai Naga villages including Pipuram Makui, Naga Tapon (Old), and Naga Tapon (New) were hit by arson, with over 30 houses, a church, food granaries, and heavy machinery—including trucks and a JCB—reduced to rubble. Pastor Luithuibou Newmai, who was shot during the chaos, survived after seven pellets struck him while he fled the firing that trapped him for nearly nine hours.
Kuki civil society organizations reported heavy mortar fire directed at the Chaljang settlement, claiming at least one projectile failed to detonate. They also accused security forces of negligence, alleging that personnel stationed near Makui failed to intervene during the protracted assaults. Kuki-Zo Village Volunteers stated they were forced to engage in counter-fire to defend civilian positions as the conflict spilled into the Tiporam area, where an additional 25 houses, some owned by members of the Nepali community, were torched on Wednesday.
As regional tensions spike, the Liangmai Naga Council has issued an urgent plea for federal intervention to safeguard life and property. Local residents continue to question why security units remained passive for hours during the onslaught, noting that large deployments like the 1,000 COBRA personnel recently seen in Taphou are not mirrored in the vulnerable pockets along the IT Road.
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