Imphal: Assam Rifles and Senapati Police evacuated 45 villagers from Tapon Namguang (Upper) on Thursday evening, September 3. They fled after an attack destroyed their homes. The group first stopped at the Senapati Police Station. They were later moved to a temporary relief camp at Taphou Liangmai. Local civil society organizations set up this site with help from the Senapati district administration.
The evacuation total reached 45 people. Only 23 of them, mostly women, children, and the elderly, now stay in the relief camp. The rest are living with relatives throughout the district headquarters area. District officials promised the displaced people support. Ng. Chunthan, spokesperson for the Naga People’s Organisation, confirmed the rescue operation. He stated, "45 displaced villagers from Tapon Namguang (Upper) had been evacuated and brought to Senapati with the help of the district police and the Assam Rifles."
Violence hit the region hard. On September 1, militants burned three Liangmai Naga villages along the Imphal-Tamenglong Road in the T. Waichong sub-division. More than 30 homes and a church turned to ash. Some villagers remain trapped in Tapon Namsan (Lower). Reports indicate several of those residents suffered injuries during recent firing. Civil society groups are pressuring security forces to evacuate the remaining families immediately.
Updated at 5th September 2026 at 5:49pm
A second rescue operation on Friday night pulled 37 more villagers from Tapon Namsan (Lower), pushing the total number of displaced residents to 82. Senapati Police and the 16 Assam Rifles brought the group to district headquarters around 11:30 p.m. This latest wave of survivors included nine men and 28 women, with four minors among them. They joined the initial evacuees at the temporary relief center, bringing the current camp population to 60 people.
Gladstone Abonmei, a 52-year-old treasurer for the Tapon Namsan Village Authority, survived the September 1 attack with injuries. He told reporters that armed militants opened fire around 4:15 a.m., continuing the assault until 12:45 p.m. Abonmei described hiding beneath a rock for hours while attackers burned homes to the ground. Following their escape, survivors are questioning who is responsible for their safety, with Abonmei asking, "Whether we will live or die, we are not sure who is responsible for protecting our villagers. Is it the state or the Centre?"
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