Imphal: Inhabitants of Khongbal Tangkhul Naga village set afire at least 23 huts of Thingjang Kuki village in Manipur’s interior Senapati hill district following a dispute over a piece of land between the two communities, police said on Monday.
A group of armed persons from Khongbal village torched at least 23 huts erected at the paddy fields of nearby Thingjang Kuki village on June 14 last, police said adding that these huts at the paddy fields were meant for taking rest while harvesting the fields.
Efforts were being made to avoid any misunderstanding between the two communities and to prevent any untoward incident, sources said. “The incident was a very unfortunate one which was a result of a dispute over a piece of land between the two interior hill villages, about 35 Kms north east of here,” said Thingjang Kuki village chief Thangkhang Lupheng. Talking reporters last evening, Lupheng said the burning down of huts, destruction of standing crops by spraying pesticides was an act of aggression and appealed to both authorities and Khongbal villagers to solve the land dispute according to tribal customary laws for the sake of peace, communal harmony and good neighbourly relations.
Senior villagers of Khongbal Tangkhul Naga village also expressed concern over the ‘misunderstanding’ between two communities and wanted to solve the dispute in a friendly way. (PTI)
