A gunfight broke out between two armed groups on Thursday morning in Manipur’s Kangpokpi district, officials said, triggering tension in nearby areas but leaving no one injured.

According to officials, suspected cadres of the banned Zeliangrong United Front (S Kamson) were engaged in an operation to destroy alleged illicit poppy cultivation at Kharam Vaiphei when they came under fire from armed Kuki underground groups. Firing subsequently stopped and there were no reports of any casualty, they said.

Additional security forces were rushed to the peripheral areas to prevent the situation from escalating.

The sound of gunfire created panic in villages on the fringes of Imphal West district, which shares a boundary with Kangpokpi and has previously witnessed large-scale gunfights between Kuki and Meitei groups in 2023 and 2024.

Meanwhile, ZUF S Kamson, in a statement, said it engaged in a gunfight at around 7.40 am at Kharam Vaiphei with armed Kuki groups. The outfit alleged that unlawful activities, including illicit poppy cultivation and the setting up of underground camps of Kuki Suspension of Operations groups, have been reported in the area.

Manipur has remained tense since ethnic violence erupted in May 2023, in which more than 260 people have been killed so far.

The violence between the Meitei and Kuki communities began after a ‘Tribal Solidarity March’ was organised in the hill districts to protest against the Meitei community’s demand for Scheduled Tribe (ST) status.