Fresh violence broke out in Taphou and adjoining areas of Senapati district in the early hours of Monday, with several houses set on fire or damaged and a CRPF jawan injured in subsequent firing. The first fire was reported around 2.40 am at Taphou Kuki Village. The Senapati fire brigade reached the spot by around 3 am. Eyewitnesses said a youth riding a motorcycle fled southwards shortly after the blaze was noticed.
After 4 am, further incidents were reported near the 9 MR outposts and at Marenmai, where two houses belonging to Naga residents were targeted. Preliminary information indicated that one house at Taphou Kuki was burnt, a house belonging to a resident of Laii village — a Poumai Naga settlement — was demolished, and another house belonging to a resident of Taphou Phyamai village, also a Poumai Naga settlement, was burnt down.
The situation escalated around 9.20 am when indiscriminate firing broke out while journalists were on the ground covering the incidents and filming the burnt and damaged houses. A 54-year-old CRPF Constable of the 36th CRPF Battalion sustained a bullet injury while providing security at Liangmai Taphou. He was taken to District Hospital, Senapati, where he is undergoing treatment. The injured personnel said he could not determine the direction from which the bullet was fired, as firing appeared to have come from both sides.
The area remained tense through the day, with security forces deployed across the affected locations. By afternoon, the entire zone where the incidents occurred had been secured by the CRPF and Senapati Police to prevent further escalation. The situation was brought under control by evening, with small vehicles plying along NH-2.
A Kangpokpi correspondent reported that both arson sites lie in a heavily secured and sensitive zone, raising questions over how the incidents took place despite the presence of security forces. Local sources said the confrontation initially involved single- and double-barrel firearms, and allegedly took a more dangerous turn when individuals began firing more sophisticated weapons. The violence has left the border belt tense and volatile, with fears of further escalation and renewed attacks on civilian settlements.
CoBRA carries out house-to-house searches
Security was intensified in and around Taphou, with the CRPF’s COBRA unit conducting house-to-house searches at Taphou Liangmai, Taphou Kuki and nearby areas in the early hours. District police personnel accompanied the CoBRA team. CoBRA personnel checked individual houses and surrounding areas. The operation was carried out without resistance or intervention from residents, and no one was detained, according to Hills Hornbill Express.
NPO questions repeated targeting of Senapati populace
The Naga People’s Organisation (NPO) has questioned the villagers of Taphou Kuki over alleged repeated incidents targeting the people of Senapati. In a press release, the NPO said the Naga people of Senapati are deeply concerned and surprised by the repeated violent incidents involving Taphou Kuki village. The organisation said the question of what the clear intention of the Taphou Kuki villagers is in provoking and targeting the peace-loving people of Senapati is being asked by young and old alike across Senapati.
The NPO sought clarification from the people of Taphou Kuki on why the people of Senapati are repeatedly being targeted or blamed for incidents occurring in Kuki villages or localities. According to information available to the organisation, a residential building belonging to a Poumai Naga was set on fire, while another abandoned building at Taphou Kuki village was also burnt by unidentified persons. While the buildings were still burning, the fire brigade was obstructed by Taphou Kuki villagers from carrying out its duty, the NPO alleged. The NPO asked: if the Taphou Kuki villagers had no involvement in the incident, why did they obstruct the fire brigade personnel?
The organisation also questioned what evidence the Taphou Kuki villagers had to blame the Nagas when two buildings — one belonging to a Naga and another to a Kuki — were burnt simultaneously. The NPO urged law enforcement agencies to closely monitor the situation, investigate every incident objectively, establish the facts and identify those responsible so that they could be booked according to law. Saying that the Naga people of Senapati have exercised maximum restraint but that their patience has now completely worn out, the NPO cautioned that the restraint shown should not be mistaken for weakness.
Taphou Kuki Village condemns
The Taphou Kuki Village Authority condemned the burning and destruction of a residential house in its village, describing the incident as highly deplorable, inhuman and unacceptable, and a grave violation of the basic rights and dignity of innocent civilians. It said the destruction of a home causes not only immense loss of property and livelihood but also fear, insecurity and deep emotional trauma, adding that a home represents safety, dignity, memories and years of hard work.
The Village Authority appealed to all individuals and groups to immediately refrain from violence, arson and destruction of property, urging that grievances be resolved through peaceful dialogue and lawful means. It demanded immediate action from the district administration, police and other competent authorities to investigate the incident, identify those responsible and ensure justice in accordance with law, asserting that the safety and security of civilians and their properties must remain the highest priority.
The Village Authority also issued a 24-hour ultimatum to those involved in the burning to come forward, claim responsibility and resolve the matter according to Kuki customary law. It warned that failure to do so could lead to an untoward incident, while simultaneously appealing to all communities to exercise restraint and work towards restoring trust, security and peaceful coexistence.
Kuki organisations allege
The Committee on Tribal Unity (CoTU), Sadar Hills, and the Ihang-Bungpi Working Committee have condemned the alleged pre-dawn arson attack on Taphou Kuki village. The two bodies alleged that the attack on Kuki civilians was aimed at undermining the government’s recent peace initiatives and creating fresh instability in the conflict-hit state.
Condemning the attack, the CoTU accused NSCN-IM cadres and members of the Liangmei community of triggering fresh tensions in the hills. The committee described the incidents as retaliatory responses to the Government of India and the current state government’s recent action against an alleged illegal checkpoint at Namdilong, which, it claimed, had kept the state under siege for nearly four months. CoTU alleged that the latest violence was part of a wider choreographed political game plan allegedly being pursued by politically vested interests to destabilise the hill districts and topple the present state government.
The committee claimed that the government’s recent measures under Chief Minister Y. Khemchand had shown some progress towards restoring law and order, and warned that such alleged retaliatory attacks could further erode the remaining space for civilian life and peace in the region. The committee said that if the Government of India and the state are sincere towards their peace mission, decisive action must be taken against forces seeking to destabilise the hill regions.