Imphal | A 54-year-old CRPF constable sustained a suspected firearm injury amid fresh firing in Senapati and adjoining areas of Kangpokpi district on Monday, as tension escalated following reports of houses being burnt and damaged in several villages.

The injured constable was taken to District Hospital, Senapati, where he is undergoing treatment. According to preliminary information, he told officials that he could not determine the direction from which the bullet was fired, as gunshots appeared to have come from both sides.

The first incident was reported at around 2.40 am at Taphou Kuki. Fire and Emergency Services personnel reportedly reached the area around 3.30 am. Preliminary reports indicated that a residential house at Taphou Kuki was burnt. Two other houses in nearby areas were also reportedly targeted after 4 am.

A house belonging to a resident of Lai village, a Poumai Naga settlement, was reportedly demolished, while another house belonging to a resident of Phuba village, also a Poumai Naga settlement, was reportedly burnt. The situation deteriorated further around 9.20 am when fresh firing broke out as journalists were covering the incidents and filming the damaged and burnt houses.

The latest violence also disrupted movement along National Highway-2, the Imphal-Dimapur highway, after Naga volunteers reportedly blocked the road. The highway is a key road link connecting Manipur with Nagaland. The Taphou Kuki Village Authority condemned the burning and destruction of a residential house belonging to a local villager, describing the incident as “deplorable, inhuman and unacceptable”.

In a statement issued on Monday, the village authority gave those responsible 24 hours to come forward, claim responsibility and resolve the matter under Kuki customary law. It also said it would not be responsible for any unauthorised incident that might occur thereafter.

Security forces have been deployed in Taphou and adjoining areas of Senapati and Kangpokpi districts as authorities work to contain the situation. The circumstances leading to the firing, the extent of property damage and the involvement of individuals or groups in the incidents are yet to be established. Officials are also assessing whether there were any additional casualties.

The fresh violence comes amid heightened tensions in parts of the Senapati-Kangpokpi region, where competing community claims and recurring armed incidents have continued to pose a challenge to efforts to restore normalcy in Manipur.