The gunshots were reported from the Torbung and Phougakchao Ikhai areas of the Meitei-dominated Bishnupur district. File
| Photo Credit: ANI
A barrage of gunshots was heard on Tuesday (December 16, 2025) night in an area of Manipur bordering two districts, sparking fresh tension among the people in the conflict-scarred State.
The gunshots were reported from the Torbung and Phougakchao Ikhai areas of the Meitei-dominated Bishnupur district. The areas border Churachandpur district, where the Kuki-Zos are in the majority.
“We are trying to find out if there is any casualty,” a police officer in Bishnupur district said.
The incident occurred a day after 389 internally displaced persons returned to their homes in Bishnupur after spending more than 31 months in relief camps.
Phougakchao Ikhai was among the first areas to have been hit by the ethnic violence that broke out on May 3, 2023, leaving more than 260 people dead and displacing an estimated 62,000 others.
Most of the displaced people from both Meitei and Kuki-Zo communities are still lodged in relief camps in different districts. Earlier, the State government announced that they would be resettled in three phases by December this year.
Published – December 17, 2025 12:25 am IST
