Imphal | Suspected militants attacked Chawangkining Naga village in Manipur’s Kangpokpi district late Tuesday night, triggering a nearly six-hour gunfight with CRPF personnel and leaving two wooden houses on the village outskirts burnt, officials said.

The firing began around 10.30 pm and continued intermittently until about 4.30 am on Wednesday. Security personnel prevented the armed group from entering the hill settlement, officials said. According to officials, CRPF personnel deployed in the area retaliated after the attackers opened fire and stopped them from advancing into the village.

Villager Daniel Charenamai said the exchange of fire continued for several hours. “Our village was attacked around 10.30 pm. The CRPF personnel deployed here returned fire and prevented the village from being overrun,” he said.

The attack came hours after two Kuki women were shot dead at Leisangphai in neighbouring Tamenglong district, further heightening tensions in the violence-hit state. Naga Peoples’ Front legislator and senior Naga leader Awangbou Newmai condemned both the killings in Tamenglong and the burning of houses in Chawangkining. He said such violence would not serve the interests of any community.

A Kuki MLA from Saikul constituency in Kangpokpi also condemned the killing of the two women, saying one of the victims had recently completed her nursing course. The MLA alleged that cadres of the NSCN-IM and ZUF-K were involved in the killings. She said the deaths could not be justified by any political cause, ideology or grievance.

Security forces remained deployed in and around the village following the overnight gunfight, while authorities assessed the damage caused by the attack.