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Villagers flee, houses and govt quarters burnt down as violence rocks Manipur’s Ukhrul district

February 09, 2026 6 min read Internal Security Social Issues GS I (Society) GS III (Internal Security)
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What Happened

  • Fresh ethnic violence erupted in Manipur's Ukhrul district on 8-9 February 2026, with clashes between Tangkhul Naga and Kuki communities in and around Litan Sareikhong village.
  • The trigger was the alleged assault of a Tangkhul Naga community member by seven to eight individuals in Litan village on Saturday night. Although initially settled through customary practices, the situation escalated when villagers from nearby Sikibung allegedly attacked the Litan Sareikhong village chief's residence and fired rounds near the local police station.
  • At least 21 houses were burnt, including both Tangkhul and Kuki residences. Government quarters were also damaged.
  • Hundreds of Kuki and Tangkhul Naga villagers, mostly women, children, and elderly persons, fled to safer areas in Kangpokpi and Ukhrul districts.
  • The Manipur government suspended internet services across Ukhrul district for five days (including broadband, VPN, and VSAT), imposed prohibitory orders, and deployed additional security forces.
  • Deputy Chief Minister L Dikho held peace meetings with both tribal groups. Chief Minister Y Khemchand Singh visited injured persons at RIMS Hospital and appealed for restraint.

Static Topic Bridges

Ethnic Composition and Fault Lines in Manipur

Manipur's ethnic landscape is defined by a geographic division between the Imphal Valley and the surrounding hill districts, creating overlapping and competing claims over territory, political representation, and resource access.

  • The Imphal Valley (approximately 10% of the state's area) is home to 57% of the population, predominantly Meitei, who are majority Hindu with minorities following Islam and the indigenous Sanamahi faith.
  • The surrounding hills (approximately 90% of the area) house 43% of the population, belonging to 34 recognized tribal groups broadly categorized as Nagas and Kukis, predominantly Christian.
  • The Tangkhul Nagas are the largest Naga tribe in Manipur, predominantly inhabiting Ukhrul district. They are culturally and linguistically distinct from the Kuki-Zo-Hmar groups who share parts of the hill districts.
  • Three-way ethnic tensions exist: Meitei vs. tribal groups (valley-hills divide), Naga vs. Kuki (competing territorial claims in hill districts), and intra-tribal disputes over village-level authority.
  • The May 2023 violence was primarily between Meitei and Kuki communities, triggered by a Manipur High Court recommendation to grant Scheduled Tribe status to the Meitei. Over 230 people were killed and approximately 60,000 displaced in the ensuing conflict.

Connection to this news: The Ukhrul violence represents a distinct Naga-Kuki fault line, separate from the dominant Meitei-Kuki conflict of 2023. While the 2023 crisis was a valley-hills confrontation, this incident shows inter-tribal tensions within the hill districts themselves, complicating any political settlement that must satisfy both Naga and Kuki aspirations simultaneously.

AFSPA and the Security Architecture in Manipur

The Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act, 1958 (AFSPA) empowers the military to operate with expanded authority in areas designated as "disturbed" by the Central or State government. It has been a persistent feature of Manipur's security landscape.

  • AFSPA grants security forces the power to use force (including lethal force after due warning), arrest without warrant, search premises without warrant, and destroy structures suspected of housing militants or weapons.
  • In Manipur, AFSPA was removed from the Imphal municipality area in 2004 and was further withdrawn from 15 police station areas across six valley districts in April 2022.
  • Following the 2023 ethnic violence, AFSPA was reimposed in six police station areas on 14 November 2024, covering Sekmai, Lamsang, Lamlai, Moirang, Leimakhong, and Jiribam.
  • As of early 2026, AFSPA remains in force across all hill districts of Manipur, including Ukhrul, while 13 police stations in five valley districts (Imphal West, Imphal East, Thoubal, Bishnupur, and Kakching) are exempt.
  • The Supreme Court in the Naga People's Movement of Human Rights case (1997) upheld the constitutional validity of AFSPA but mandated guidelines including prior warning before use of force and periodic review of "disturbed area" declarations.

Connection to this news: Despite AFSPA being operational in Ukhrul district, armed groups were able to set houses on fire and discharge firearms near a police station. This raises questions about the effectiveness of the "disturbed area" framework in preventing localized ethnic violence, particularly in remote hill areas where security force deployment is stretched thin. The five-day internet shutdown imposed by the state government reflects the standard crisis-response toolkit used alongside AFSPA provisions.

Internet Shutdowns as a Governance Tool

India leads the world in government-imposed internet shutdowns, frequently deploying them as a tool to contain violence, prevent rumour-spreading, and maintain public order during ethnic, communal, or political disturbances.

  • Legal authority for internet shutdowns derives from the Temporary Suspension of Telecom Services (Public Emergency or Public Safety) Rules, 2017, framed under Section 7 of the Indian Telegraph Act, 1885.
  • Initially, shutdowns could be ordered by the Home Secretary (Central or State). Following the Anuradha Bhasin v. Union of India (2020) Supreme Court ruling, any shutdown order must satisfy the tests of necessity and proportionality and must be reviewed by a Review Committee within five working days.
  • The Supreme Court also ruled that indefinite suspension of internet services is impermissible and that any restriction must be temporary in duration.
  • Manipur experienced one of India's longest internet shutdowns during the 2023-2024 violence, lasting over 140 days in some areas before being gradually restored.

Connection to this news: The five-day internet suspension across Ukhrul district, covering broadband, VPN, and VSAT services, follows the established pattern of using communication blackouts to contain ethnic violence in Manipur. The breadth of the shutdown (covering all internet modalities including VPN) raises proportionality questions under the Anuradha Bhasin framework, though such measures have become routine in the state's crisis management approach.

Inner Line Permit System and Tribal Land Protections

The Inner Line Permit (ILP) system regulates the entry of Indian citizens from other states into designated areas, originally a colonial-era mechanism that has been expanded in the Northeast to protect tribal land, culture, and demographic composition.

  • The ILP traces its origins to the Bengal Eastern Frontier Regulation, 1873, enacted by the British to protect the commercial interests of the Crown and to regulate contact between hill tribes and plains populations.
  • Manipur adopted the ILP system in January 2020 under the Manipur (Regulation of Visitors, Tenants and Migrant Workers) Act, making it the fourth northeastern state with ILP after Arunachal Pradesh, Nagaland, and Mizoram.
  • Under ILP, Indian citizens from outside the state require a permit to enter, travel through, or stay in the protected area. Violation can lead to deportation and penalties.
  • In Manipur, the ILP has been a contentious issue: the Meitei community pushed for its adoption to protect against demographic change, while some tribal groups viewed it as insufficient compared to their demand for Sixth Schedule protections.

Connection to this news: The Ukhrul violence occurs in a district that falls within the ILP-protected zone of Manipur. The inter-tribal nature of the clash (Tangkhul Naga vs. Kuki) highlights that the ILP, designed to regulate external entry, does not address internal ethnic fault lines. The competing territorial claims between Naga and Kuki communities in the hill districts remain a distinct security challenge unaffected by external entry regulations.

Key Facts & Data

  • Ukhrul district is the traditional homeland of the Tangkhul Naga tribe, the largest Naga group in Manipur.
  • Twenty-one houses were burnt in the Litan Sareikhong area; both Tangkhul Naga and Kuki homes were destroyed.
  • Internet was suspended across the entire Ukhrul revenue jurisdiction for five days, covering broadband, VPN, and VSAT.
  • The 2023 Manipur ethnic violence killed over 230 people and displaced approximately 60,000, primarily along the Meitei-Kuki divide.
  • AFSPA remains operational in all hill districts of Manipur, including Ukhrul, as of early 2026.
  • The Naga-Kuki clash of 1992 displaced approximately 114,300 people and destroyed around 600 villages, representing an earlier precedent of inter-tribal violence in the same region.
  • Manipur's ILP was introduced in January 2020 under the Manipur (Regulation of Visitors, Tenants and Migrant Workers) Act.
  • The Anuradha Bhasin v. Union of India (2020) Supreme Court ruling mandates that internet shutdowns must satisfy necessity and proportionality tests and cannot be indefinite.