According to the Manipur Police, “in a heavy exchange of fire, three individuals sustained fatal bullet injuries.” Security forces have intensified deployment in the area to prevent further escalation, while operations remain underway as the situation continues to develop.
Manipur has been engulfed in intermittent ethnic clashes for nearly three years between the predominantly Hindu Meitei majority and the mainly Christian Kuki community. The long-standing conflict, rooted in disputes over land ownership and access to government employment, has claimed more than 250 lives, according to official figures.
Human rights activists have accused local political leadership of deepening ethnic divisions for political advantage, further complicating efforts toward peace and reconciliation.
The unrest first erupted in 2023, triggering widespread displacement, with approximately 60,000 people forced to flee their homes, as per government data. Although tensions had temporarily eased, violence resurfaced earlier this month when four individuals, including two children, were killed in an attack allegedly carried out by a Kuki group. In a retaliatory escalation, a Meitei mob later stormed a paramilitary camp, intensifying security concerns in the region.
Meanwhile, in a separate development unrelated to the violence, 249 individuals from the northeastern states of Manipur and Mizoram belonging to the Bnei Menashe community arrived in Tel Aviv on Thursday. The group claims descent from one of the so-called “lost tribes” of Israel, a narrative preserved through oral tradition describing a centuries-long migration route through Persia, Afghanistan, Tibet, and China, while maintaining certain Jewish practices such as circumcision.
The Israeli government had earlier decided in November to fund the immigration of approximately 6,000 members of the Bnei Menashe community. Historically, members of this group were converted to Christianity by 19th-century missionaries after residing in India for generations.
The dual developments highlight both the persistent ethnic volatility in Manipur and the continued global movement of communities with historical and cultural ties extending beyond the region.
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