India

Drunken Clash in Litan Village Sparks Naga‑Kuki Violence Across Manipur

By Prawesh Lama

Personnel from the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) and the Border Security Force (BSF) were deployed to keep Nagas and Kukis apart after a brawl in Litan village, Ukhrul district, on February 7. The village, which had 192 houses and a population of nearly 1,000, had been spared from the ethnic violence that had affected much of Manipur. The altercation began when 48‑year‑old Naga man Stalin Shimrey and his friend Leishi Yui Kasar left a home to drink. While returning, they encountered a drunk Kuki man named Akamboi who flashed a torchlight. Three Kuki men, also intoxicated, confronted Akamboi. Shimrey and Kasar intervened, but the Kuki men returned with more people and began beating Kasar. Shimrey was punched on the back of his head and fell, bleeding from his face. He lay unconscious for about 30 minutes before being taken to the Regional Institute of Medical Sciences (RIMS) in Imphal, where he remained for two months.

Kuki woman Nemneikim Baite, 24, disputed Shimrey’s account. She said her husband Tonggoulen Baite, her brother Lungsanglen Baite, and she were the only ones involved. According to her, Akamboi flashed a torch at Lungsanglen, and Shimrey and Kasar began abusing him. She claimed her brother was hit by Shimrey on the back of his head, causing Shimrey to fall and bleed. Nemneikim said the village follows tribal custom: if blood is spilled, the offender must give an animal sacrifice to the victim, and police are not called.

The next morning, Naga elders approached the Kuki village chief to resolve the dispute through traditional means. The attempt failed. Shimrey’s cousin Asayo, 51, said about 50 Naga villagers went to the Kuki chief’s house demanding Lungsanglen be handed over for compensation. He alleged the chief, related to Lungsanglen, hid him. More than 100 Kukis gathered at the chief’s house, and when Lungsanglen did not appear, the Naga villagers broke into the house, threw stones, and fired blank shots. By 10 pm, Naga people burned Naga houses in the village. Siema Vaiphei, Lungsanglen’s cousin, offered a different version: Naga militants had begun searching for Lungsanglen, forcing the family to hide him. The family had bought a pig and other items for a customary settlement. During the meeting, Naga militants demanded Lungsanglen be handed over, damaged the house, and the Kuki villagers gathered. Firing ensued, and at 10 pm Naga people burned Kuki houses.

Between February 8 and 10, both sides burned each other’s homes. Residents retreated to opposite sides of the village, and central security forces were deployed between them. The police at Litan station said determining who started the fight was not their priority; their focus was to prevent further killings.

The violence spread beyond Litan. In the last week of February, clashes involving Nagas and Kukis were reported in Kamjong and Kangpokpi districts. On March 11, bodies of two Kuki men, Thangboimang Lunkim and Thengkhogin Baite, were found a day after they were abducted along with five others. Clashes have continued, with casualties on both sides.

The state government and police cite the February brawl as the trigger for the Naga‑Kuki clashes. Community representatives, however, view the confrontation as a culmination of long‑standing tensions. Kuki Inpi spokesperson Lun said attacks on Kukis in Naga‑dominated areas had preceded the incident, and that Nagas had used the February event to displace Kukis. Naga representative Rimithem Shinglai, secretary of the Naga Tangkhul Litan, claimed the village belonged to Nagas and accused Kukis of occupying the land illegally since the early 1900s. Earlier clashes over land between 1993 and 1998 left about 750 dead.

Shimrey has not returned to Litan since his discharge. He now lives in Imphal and says he was only the trigger in a situation where tensions had been simmering.

Author Prawesh Lama is an Associate Editor at Hindustan Times with nearly two decades of frontline reporting experience across India’s conflict zones, border regions, and disaster‑hit areas.