COTU described the Taphou arson and the armed assault at Leiplein village as retaliatory acts following the government’s dismantling of the illegal Namdilong checkpoint.
BY PC Bureau
August 24, 2026: Kangpokpi/Senapati, August 24 — The Committee on Tribal Unity (COTU), Sadar Hills, has strongly condemned an early-morning arson attack on Kuki-Zo property at Taphou village in Kangpokpi district and a separate armed assault at Leiplein village in Saikul sub-division.
According to police and multiple reports, miscreants set a residential house belonging to a Kuki resident ablaze at Taphou Kuki village around 2:30–2:40 a.m. on Monday. Fire and Emergency Services personnel reached the site at approximately 3:30 a.m. No casualties were reported from the fire itself, though the house was completely destroyed.
The Taphou Kuki Village Authority described the burning as “deplorable, inhuman and unacceptable” and issued a 24-hour deadline for those responsible to claim accountability under Kuki customary law.
COTU stated that the arson was carried out by a mob from the Liangmei community and formed part of retaliatory actions linked to the state government’s recent dismantling of an illegal checkpoint at Namdilong. The group also condemned an unprovoked armed attack earlier the same night (around 12:20 a.m.) at Leiplein village by cadres of the Kacha Tangkhul-led NSCN-IM, which left at least one civilian injured according to parallel statements from other Kuki organisations.
In the hours that followed the Taphou arson, several houses belonging to Naga residents were reportedly torched or damaged at Naga Taphou (Taphou Naga) in neighbouring Senapati district around 4 a.m., including properties linked to Poumai and Liangmai communities.
A gunfight later erupted between groups in the Taphou Naga area around 9:20 a.m., injuring a CRPF Sub-Inspector (Pradeep Singh of the 36th Battalion) with a bullet wound to the leg/foot. He was treated at Senapati District Hospital and is reported out of danger. Naga villagers temporarily blocked National Highway-2 near the Senapati district gate with burning tyres and debris before the blockade was lifted after administrative intervention.
Additional security forces have been deployed in the area.COTU described both the Taphou arson and the Leiplein attack as retaliatory responses by Kacha Nagas, Tangkhuls and the Liangmei community to Chief Minister Y. Khemchand’s administration for removing the Namdilong checkpoint, which the committee said had kept the state under siege for nearly four months. It portrayed the wider unrest in the hill districts as a “choreographic political game plan” by vested political interests aiming to topple the current government, which it credited with making progress in restoring law and order.
While welcoming the generally swift response of security forces, COTU criticised selective operations, particularly those at J. Songtun village that it said caused physical casualties among women and children. The committee called on the Government of India and the Manipur government to:
- Curtail the “limitless territorial operational capabilities” of the NSCN-IM and prevent it from destabilising the hill regions;
- Arrest leaders of the United Naga Council (UNC) and the Sadar Hills District Students’ Association (SDSA) alleged to be instigating the public; and
- End selective operations by state and central forces to ensure fair and balanced justice.
The statement was issued by the Information and Publicity Media Cell of the Committee on Tribal Unity, Sadar Hills, Kangpokpi. The situation in the Taphou and adjoining border areas of Kangpokpi and Senapati remains tense, with security forces maintaining a heightened presence.
