UKHRUL: The injury and subsequent death of a Border Security Force (BSF) jawan in Ukhrul District, Manipur, have led to accusations between the Kuki and Naga communities regarding responsibility for the attack.
Manipur Chief Minister Yumnam Khemchand Singh says the victim, identified as Constable Mithun Mandal, belongs to the BSF 170 Battalion and hails from West Bengal. He sustained fatal injuries from a bullet fired from an “unknown direction” while on patrol at Mongkot Chepu, and later succumbed to his injuries at RIMS, Imphal.
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In response to the incident, the Kuki Civil Society Organisation Working Committee, Ukhrul, has accused the Tangkhul Nagas of being responsible for the gunfire that injured the BSF jawan. The committee has drawn the attention of the Manipur Chief Minister, the Union Home Minister, the Director General of the BSF, and the Director General of Police.
The Kuki CSO Working Committee reported that the jawan was critically injured around 4:50 PM during an attack on Mongkot Chepu, allegedly from “Tangkhul militant bunkers” located at Pharmila’s house near Litan Sareikhong Cemetery, on the Kholkai hilltop in Sharkaphung village. They emphasized that the victim was in a critical condition.
“These bunkers have repeatedly been used to launch attacks on Mongkot Chepu, putting both civilians and security forces at constant risk. Despite this, ground forces have not retaliated to stop these assaults to date,” the committee alleged. They also paid their respects to the injured jawan, noting that local villagers provided first aid and CPR, while praying for his recovery.
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“We urgently call on the government to take immediate and decisive action to ensure sustained security dominance around those active bunkers constructed by the Tangkhul militants and authorize forces to respond firmly to any armed attack,” they stated, adding, “Further delay will cost more lives and property and deepen the trauma for the people. Attacks on Kuki villages must not continue.”
Meanwhile, the Tangkhul Naga Long (TNL) Working Committee and Khanuithot Khon have issued sharp rebuttals to the Kuki CSO Working Committee’s allegation. The TNL Working Committee stated that since the early afternoon of the 10th of April 2026, there has been indiscriminate firing from Mongkot Chepu towards Sharkaphung, a Tangkhul Naga village under Kamjong District, Manipur.
“In this wake, tragic news of a BSF jawan identified as Mithun Mandal, 170 Battalion, A Company, was reportedly hit while on duty in the precinct of Mongkot Chepu during the reckless firing executed by the Kuki SoO cadres, and later succumbed to his injuries in the evening,” it said, adding that it vehemently condemns the killing of a neutral Central force, which was stationed to bring order and peace in the conflict zone.
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Sharing its deepest condolences with the bereaved family and loved ones, the TNL Working Committee also denounces the ‘false news’ spread by certain Kuki individuals and their CSOs who have, without any proof or evidence, blamed the Tangkhul Nagas for such an act of cowardice.
“The Tangkhul Naga village volunteers, to date, have never targeted the personnel of Central security forces. Ever since the outbreak of conflict in the Litan areas, the Kuki SoO cadres and their armed villagers have always been on the offensive,” it alleged, stating that their volunteers have been maintaining restraint all that time and never resorted to any offences from their end. “We only retaliate with enough caution against the unprovoked attacks from the Kuki armed cadres, it stated, adding that the Central Force presence reassured safety and security for the innocent Tangkhul Naga civilians. Further, the committee stated that their village volunteers were there to protect the villages in the conflict zone from repeated attacks from Kuki armed groups.
Additionally, the Khanuithot Khon has categorically refuted the ‘baseless and fabricated allegations’ regarding the unfortunate firing incident at Mongkot Chepu today.
“We state with absolute certainty that Tangkhul Naga volunteers did not fire a single bullet during the period in question,” it stated, adding, “A massive public meeting was held today from 2:00 PM to 5:00 PM, attended by community members and volunteers. During this assembly, all volunteers were strictly advised and mandated to maintain peace at all costs to ensure the sanctity of the public gathering.”
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The Khanuithot Khon also stated that the reported attack at Mongkot Chepu was a staged incident designed specifically to disturb the peace of their public meeting and maliciously provoke enmity between their volunteers and security forces. “This blame game is a tired tactic that has been employed repeatedly since the onset of the conflict in 2023 to mislead the authorities and the general public,” it further stated.
Further clarifying, the group also highlighted that the Tangkhul Naga volunteers had zero involvement in the firing incident. “They were accounted for at the public meeting during the hours the alleged attack took place,” it said. It also added that accusations are part of a persistent strategy of fabrication aimed at deepening communal divides and traumatizing innocent villagers, and that their community remains committed to a peaceful resolution and refuses to be drawn into the cycle of violence through orchestrated provocations.
Additionally, the Khanuithot Khon urges the government and security agencies to conduct a fair and thorough investigation into the source of this firing. “The authorities must recognize these staged attacks for what they are: a tactical manoeuvre to shift blame and destabilize the region. The Tangkhul Naga volunteers stand clear of these charges and call upon all parties to cease the dissemination of false information that threatens the fragile security of our state,” it further noted.