Overview
- On Saturday, unidentified attackers set fire to abandoned Meitei houses in Kanto Sabal near the Leimakhong Army camp, with reporting varying between three and six homes damaged.
- Joint teams of Manipur Police, the Army, CRPF and RAF moved quickly to extinguish the blazes and used tear gas, smoke bombs and baton charges to stop a crowd of roughly 600–1,000 people from advancing toward the site.
- Authorities registered a criminal case and arrested two men — Kammang Lhouvum and Pagin Hangshing — while joint search operations continue to identify and detain other suspects.
- No deaths were reported and a small number of civilians sustained injuries, but residents and civil society groups say security personnel prevented locals from reaching burning homes and failed to protect the properties.
- Kanto Sabal sits on a sensitive buffer between the Imphal Valley and Kangpokpi hills and the attack on homes vacant since the May 2023 Meitei–Kuki violence raises the risk of renewed communal flare-ups and increased troop deployments.