Houses at Senapati-Kangpokpi border go up in flames Houses torched, CRPF man injured
Source: The Sangai Express

Senapati/Kangpokpi, August 01 2026: Fresh violence was reported at Taphou and adjoining areas of Senapati district in the early hours of Monday, with several houses reportedly burnt or damaged and a CRPF jawan injured in a subsequent firing.

The first fire incident was reported at around 2.40 am at Taphou Kuki Village.

Soon after the fire was noticed, the Senapati fire brigade reached the area at around 3 am .

Some eyewitnesses reported that a youth riding a motorcycle fled southwards after the fire broke out.

After 4 am, further incidents were reported around 9 MR outposts and Marenmai, where two houses belonging to Naga residents were targeted.

Houses at Senapati-Kangpokpi border go up in flames Houses torched, CRPF man injured

Preliminary information indicated that one house at Taphou Kuki was burnt, while a house belonging to a resident of Laii village, a Poumai Naga settlement, was demolished.

Another house belonging to a resident of Taphou Phyamai village, also a Poumai Naga settlement, was burnt down.

The situation escalated at around 9.20 am when indiscriminate firing broke out while journalists were on the ground covering the incidents and recording footage of the burnt and damaged houses.

A 54-year-old CRPF Constable of the 36th CRPF Battalion sustained bullet injury while providing security at Liangmai Taphou.

He was rushed to District Hospital, Senapati, where he is undergoing treatment.

The injured personnel said he could not ascertain the direction from which the bullet was fired, as firing appeared to have come from both sides.

The situation remained tense in and around Taphou, with security forces deployed across the affected areas.

Later in the afternoon, the entire area where the incidents occurred was secured by security forces, including the CRPF and Senapati Police, to prevent further escalation.

The situation was brought under control by evening, while small vehicles were seen plying along NH-2 .

Our Kangpokpi correspondent reported that both arson sites are located in a heavily secured and sensitive zone, raising serious questions over how the incidents occurred despite the presence of security forces in the area.

According to local sources, the confrontation initially involved single- and double-barrel firearms.

The situation allegedly took a more dangerous turn when individuals began firing sophisticated weapons.

The violence has left the border belt tense and highly volatile, raising fears of further escalation and renewed attacks on vulnerable civilian settlements.

The incidents have also raised serious questions over the security arrangements along the Kangpokpi-Senapati border and the ability of security forces to prevent retaliatory violence from spiralling into a wider confrontation.

CoBRA carries out house-to-house searches

Security measures were intensified in and around Taphou today, with the CRPF's COBRA unit conducting house-to-house searches at Taphou Liang-mai, Taphou Kuki and nearby areas during the early hours.

District police personnel accompanied the CoBRA team during the operation.

The CoBRA personnel checked individual houses and surrounding areas as part of the operation.

The operation was carried out without any resistance or intervention from local residents or house owners.

No person has been detained so far, reports Hills Hornbill Express.

NPO questions repeated "targeting of Senapati populace"

The Naga People's Organisation (NPO) has questioned the villagers of Taphou Kuki over the 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.

"What is the clear intention of the Taphou Kuki villagers in provoking and targeting the peace-loving people of Senapati is the question being asked by young and old alike across Senapati," it stated.

The NPO sought clarification from the people of Taphou Kuki as to 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, it said.

While the buildings were still burning, the fire brigade, whose sole purpose was to extinguish the flames and prevent further damage, was obstructed by Taphou Kuki villagers from carrying out its duty, the NPO alleged.

If the Taphou Kuki villagers have no involvement in the incident, why did they obstruct the fire brigade personnel from performing their duties?, the NPO asked.

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 their patience has now completely worn out, the NPO cautioned that the restraint shown by the Senapati Naga people should not be mistaken for weakness.

Taphou Kuki Village condemns

The Taphou Kuki Village Authority condemned the burning and destruction of the residential house at 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, stressing that a home represents safety, dignity, memories and years of hard work.

It appealed to all individuals and groups to immediately refrain from violence, arson and destruction of property, and urged that grievances be resolved through peaceful dialogue and lawful means.

The Village Authority also 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.

It asserted 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 also condemned the alleged pre-dawn arson attack on Taphou Kuki village.

The two bodies alleged that the attack on Kuki civilians were aimed at undermining the Government's recent peace initiatives and creating fresh instability in the conflict-hit state.

Condemning the attack, the CoTU accused the 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 Popular Government in Manipur'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 "choreographic 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.

"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," the Committee said.