IMPHAL: In a highly controversial operation, Indian Army personnel killed ten tribal youth in a staged encounter in Manipur’s volatile Chandel district, bordering Myanmar.
The so-called gunfight took place near New Samtal village in Khengjoy tehsil, an area long fraught with insurgency and cross-border tensions. The operation, Indian officials claim, was launched based on “specific intelligence” regarding the movement of armed cadres.
State police have stated that the deceased are believed to be Myanmarese nationals, and their bodies have been handed over to Myanmar authorities. However, officials have not provided evidence of any armed confrontation, nor have they disclosed the group to which the individuals allegedly belonged. Army sources vaguely claimed the slain were “known for involvement in cross-border insurgent activity.”
Rights groups and independent observers have expressed concern over the lack of transparency and the possibility that this may have been a fake encounter, a tactic Indian forces have been accused of employing in conflict zones like Kashmir and the North-East to gain operational credit or suppress dissent.
This incident comes against the backdrop of ongoing ethnic unrest in Manipur, where over 260 people have been killed and more than 59,000 displaced since violent clashes erupted in May 2023 between the Meitei and Kuki-Zo-Hmar communities.
The worsening law and order situation led to the imposition of President’s Rule in February 2025, following the resignation of Chief Minister N. Biren Singh.
The latest killings risk further inflaming tensions in a region already on edge. Human rights observers have called for an independent investigation to verify the circumstances surrounding the deaths and to hold accountable those responsible if any foul play is uncovered.
