Tension has sharply escalated in Manipur's Ukhrul district after a mob set fire to a regional office of the National Socialist Council of Nagalim (Isak-Muivah), or NSCN-IM, in the wake of a deadly ambush that killed four cadres of a rival faction in the neighbouring Kamjong district.
Security forces have been deployed across both districts as authorities work to prevent further violence.
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The sequence of events began with an attack at Hongbei village junction in Kamjong district, where four cadres belonging to the NSCN Eastern Flank were shot dead while returning from an official assignment.
According to sources, the victims had been travelling along the Indo-Myanmar border to monitor activities in the area when they were intercepted by an armed group and fired upon.
Four cadres died at the scene. Two others managed to escape.
News of the ambush triggered swift and violent anger among local residents in Ukhrul, who suspected the NSCN-IM was behind the attack.
An angry mob targeted the outfit's Wung Tangkhul Region office, setting it ablaze and deepening fears of a broader breakdown in the already fragile security situation across the two districts.
The burning of the office marks a significant escalation in tensions between factions and communities in an area where inter-group rivalries have long simmered.
The NSCN-IM moved quickly to distance itself from the killings, issuing a denial and expressing shock over the ambush.
The outfit stated that no directive had been issued from its headquarters to carry out any offensive action, and announced that an internal inquiry has been initiated to determine what happened and who was responsible.
The group also urged the public to remain calm and avoid reacting to unverified information spreading on social media, assuring that those found guilty would be dealt with under its internal regulations.
With tensions running high across Ukhrul and Kamjong, security forces are closely monitoring the situation in both districts.
Authorities are working to prevent further retaliation and contain the unrest before it spreads to other parts of the region.
The incident adds a fresh layer of complexity to Manipur's already volatile security landscape, where multiple armed groups operate in close — and often contested — proximity.