Kangpokpi: Tension continued in Kangpokpi district on Tuesday after several Naga villages along the IT Road were allegedly attacked and houses set ablaze, with a local pastor sustaining bullet injuries, according to local sources.
The incident came a day after three Kuki villagers, including two women, were killed and four others injured in fresh violence in the district.
According to sources, Makui Pipuram, a Liangmai Naga village, came under heavy gunfire at around 4 am on Tuesday, allegedly by Kuki armed groups. The attackers reportedly set fire to houses after the firing, destroying property, including food grains and other belongings.
The same group allegedly later attacked and set ablaze three more Naga villages — Tapon Khullen, Tapon Khunou and Thonglang Akutpa.
During the attacks, a local pastor from Tapon village, identified as Luithuibou Newmai, sustained bullet injuries to his hand and waist, sources said.
Meanwhile, central security forces travelling towards the affected areas were reportedly stopped at T. Waichong by a group of Kuki villagers. The forces later dispersed the crowd and proceeded towards the affected areas, according to sources.
In a statement, the Makui Village Authority condemned the alleged attack on Pipuram Naga village, describing the burning of homes as an “inhuman act” by Kuki militants.
The village authority said such attacks on Naga villages along the IT Road were not new. It also referred to the August 27 killing of four Makui villagers, alleging that they were killed in a pre-planned ambush between Makui Ashang and Thanamba villages.
The authority alleged that the repeated attacks were aimed at driving Liangmai Nagas out of the IT Road area and taking control of their ancestral lands.