Khamenlok clash

Battle of Khamenlok
	Part of 2023–2024 Manipur violence
Date	13 June 2023
Location	Aigejang, Kangpokpi, Manipur, India
Result	Meitei attackers eventually leave Aigejang
Belligerents
Meitei assailants Arambai Tenggol; Meitei Leepun; United National Liberation Front;	Kuki militants
Strength
Thousands	Unknown
Casualties and losses
11 killed; 3 executed; 23 injured; 600 killed (unverified)	Unknown

The Aigejang Shooting, otherwise known as the Khamenlok Massacre, occurred on 13 June 2023, when

militants, launched a retaliatory attack on a group of Meitei men, suspected to be militants or mob members, feasting inside a church on the outskirts of the Kuki village of Aigejang in the Khamenlok area of Kangpokpi, Manipur

. The Meitei mob had earlier attacked the village and successfully captured the area.

Background

Manipur violence

As part of the

Kangpokpi District prior to the events in Aigejang. However, Aigejang itself, despite being a border village between the two communities, had not seen significant violence by the start of June 2023, despite escalating tensions between communities in the region.^[1] The area had, in the past days, seen an influx of people from other parts of the state, specifically Meitei volunteers claiming to "defend" the Meitei-dominated parts. On June 12, 2023, an adjacent village to Aigejang had been burnt down by these volunteers.^[2]

Attack on Aigejang

On 13 June 2023, starting at around 6 PM, thousands of armed Meitei assailants, including

Meira Paibis at Chanung.^[1]

Following the attack, the mob occupied parts of the outskirts of the village.

Incident

The same day, unidentified Kuki assailants, attacked a group of Meitei men with gunfire and bombs while they were resting inside a church on the outskirts of Aigejang in the Khamenlok area of Kangpokpi, Manipur. It is suspected that the Meitei individuals attacked were part of the aforementioned mob. The exchange resulted in the death of at least 11 Meitei individuals, with 23 others sustaining injuries. Additionally, three Meitei individuals were abducted by the Kuki assailants, who claimed to have subsequently killed them. In an interview with with Karan Thapar, Wilson Hangshing claim that, based on eyewitness accounts, there could have been at least 200 to 600 Meitei casualties.^[3]The motive is generally considered to have been revenge for the burning of Aigejang and to clear the region of Meitei assailants.^[1]

The victims claimed that they had went to deliver food to the Meitei assailants, and that they were told to stay inside the church by the militants as it had been raining, before they were suddenly fired upon. They denied being combatants and claimed that the armed volunteers were too far away to have put up any resistance.^[2]

Aftermath

On December 25 of that same year, an unidentified armed group detonated bombs within the village, injuring a Indian Ghorka man. The reasons for the detonations are unknown but are thought to be linked to the ongoing violence in the state.^[1]

References

^ ^a ^b ^c ^d "ACLED Dashboard". ACLED. Retrieved March 29, 2024.
^ ^a ^b ^c "9 killed in fresh violence in Manipur". The Indian Express. 14 June 2023. Retrieved March 29, 2024.
^ Cite error: The named reference Northeast Affairs was invoked but never defined (see the help page).

[ACLED-1] "ACLED Dashboard". ACLED. Retrieved March 29, 2024.

[IndianExpress-2] "9 killed in fresh violence in Manipur". The Indian Express. 14 June 2023. Retrieved March 29, 2024.

[Northeast_Affairs-3] Cite error: The named reference Northeast Affairs was invoked but never defined (see the help page).

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