Curfew has been imposed in parts of Manipur ‘s Churachandpur district as tensions escalated between two tribal communities over hoisting of community flags.

The tension erupted between the Zomi and Hmar tribal communities over the hoisting of community flags in a disputed area between two villages.

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The flare-up underscores the fragile peace in the region still grappling with the aftermath of last year’s ethnic violence.

According to an official notification, curfew has been enforced in the villages of V Munhoih and Rengkai and across the Kangvai, Samulamlan, and Sangaikot sub-divisions of Churachandpur district.

The administration clarified that curfew in other parts of the district would be relaxed from 6 am to 5 pm daily until April 17 to allow residents access to essential services. Further relaxation, it said, would depend on the law and order situation.

In a significant peace-building effort, village leaders from both Rengkai and V Munhoih held a joint meeting with the Churachandpur Deputy Commissioner and Superintendent of Police. The meeting concluded with a joint appeal for calm and urged residents not to spread inflammatory content on social media platforms. Both sides agreed that the dispute was rooted in land demarcation and not communal differences, and pledged to resolve it through dialogue at the village level.

The latest incident comes just weeks after violence rocked Churachandpur on March 18, when one person was killed and several injured in clashes between Zomi and Hmar groups. That violence was reportedly triggered after a person pulled down a Zomi flag from a mobile tower, further deepening ethnic fault lines in the area.

Manipur has been on edge since May 2023, when ethnic violence between the Kuki-Zo tribes and the majority Meitei community erupted, resulting in over 200 deaths and displacing of more than 60,000 people.