Security forces fired tear gas shells near the Regional Institute of Medical Sciences (RIMS) in Imphal on Monday afternoon to disperse protesters opposing the admission of three Kuki-Zo youths, including a Mohun Bagan youth team player, injured in a firing incident in Manipur’s Kangpokpi district in the morning.
An official with the Mohun Bagan Super Giant said that a footballer has been injured but offered no details.
The firing incident, involving two armed groups, took place in Kuki-Zo-majority Kangpokpi district around 6am. The injured were escorted to the Regional Institute of Medical Sciences, a central government facility, by security personnel after preliminary treatment at the Military Hospital in Leimakhong, according to reports from Imphal.
The injured — Genlenmang Vaiphei, 15, Lunliandou Vaiphei, 20, and Paogoulal Chongloi, 18 — were seriously injured and evacuated to the Regional Institute of Medical Sciences for treatment.
They suffered bullet injuries, according to a Kuki Zo Council (KZC) member. KZC is a leading organisation of the community. The KZC claimed in a statement on Monday night that Chongloi is a member of Mohun Bagan.
Condemning the attack at Leilon Munlui village in Kangpokpi district, “reportedly by NSCN-IM and its proxy outfit, ZUF-K”, the KZC said Chongloi “is a promising Indian footballer who has represented Mohun Bagan Football Club”.
An Instagram story by @mohunbaganyouth in 2025 shows a player by that name who joined the Mohun Bagan under-18 team in November 2025. Chongloi is a midfielder from Kangpokpi, born on July 29, 2008.
Kuki organisations have claimed the injured were village volunteers tasked with safeguarding villages.
Once news of their admission spread, protesters from both Naga and Meitei communities started assembling at RIMS and raised slogans against their admission.
According to reports, the protesters wanted them to be treated either in Kangpokpi or Churachandpur, two Kuki-Zo-majority districts. They were opposed to treatment being provided to “militants”.
As the protest grew in size and intensity, security forces fired tear gas shells to stop protesters from entering the emergency ward, according to reports from Imphal.
Videos of the protest showed demonstrators jostling with security forces, escalating tension within and outside the hospital. Security personnel were heavily deployed to prevent any untoward incident. Tension persisted between 2.30pm and 5.30pm, a source said.
Meitei-majority Imphal has been out of bounds for Kuki-Zos since the conflict between the two communities began on May 3, 2023, just as Kuki-Zo-majority areas in the hills are out of bounds for the Meiteis.
However, ties between the Nagas and Meiteis have also been strained following the killing of three Kuki-Zo church leaders on May 13 and the subsequent abduction and killing of six Naga men, whose bodies were recovered from Kangpokpi district on June 10. Naga groups have blamed Kuki-Zo militants for the killings. The bodies of the abducted men were recovered a day after 14 Kuki-Zo hostages were released in Naga-majority Senapati district following intervention by the Church and Naga civil society organisations.
KZC statement
The KZC said that Monday’s incident was “not an isolated incident but part of a continuing pattern of violence against the Kuki-Zo community” and that the “repeated killing of our people and burning of our villages point to a deliberate effort to terrorise and uproot the Kuki-Zo populace”.
On the protest at RIMS, the KZC said: “Equally disturbing was the gathering of a large crowd at RIMS, Imphal, today in protest against the treatment of the injured youths, prompting security forces to intervene and disperse the gathering. Such actions reinforce the painful perception that Kuki-Zo lives do not matter in Manipur.”
It said that While the KZC has condemned the tragic loss of the six Naga hostages, it is equally important to recognise that since March 11, 2026, at least 14 Kuki-Zo people,
including three pastors, have been killed in attacks “reportedly carried out by NSCN-IM and ZUF-K”.
“During the same period, more than 6 six Kuki villages have been set ablaze, causing widespread displacement, fear and suffering among our people. These developments further strengthen our demand for a separate administration. We urge all citizens of India to condemn violence irrespective of community and appeal to the government of India to recognise the urgency of a political solution. Kuki-Zos are citizens of India. Our lives matter, and we deserve peace, dignity, security and equality,” the KZC said.