Zaonger’s citizens’ union acknowledges retaliatory arson and outlines its account of events preceding the Yimkhiung-Tikhir clashes on October 10
DIMAPUR — The citizens’ union of Zaonger village has acknowledged that villagers set fire to houses belonging to expelled members after homes were burnt in neighbouring Pokphur, offering its account of the events that preceded the October 10 violence between the Yimkhiung and Tikhir communities.
In a statement issued on Monday, the Zaonger Mihkhung Arihako (ZMA) traced the confrontation to a longstanding dispute over village affairs and the status of Tikhir residents in Zaonger. It also recounted the events leading up to the Tikhir community’s Tsonglak-Nyi festival, which became a flashpoint in the tensions.
Per the union, the dispute had been referred to a District Customary Court constituted by the district administration in April 2025, following a memorandum of understanding between the Yimkhiung Tribal Council and the Tikhir Tribal Council. It stated that the court, on May 14 last year, directed the Zaonger Village Council to advance INR 25,000 towards a traditional oath-taking ceremony intended to settle the matter. The final ceremony, however, remained pending.
According to the ZMA, a joint coordination committee of Zaonger submitted a 45-day ultimatum to the state government in December 2025, seeking action on the dispute. The union claimed that, in the absence of a resolution, 73 individuals identifying as Tikhir were subsequently expelled from village citizenship and asked to leave with their property.
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It added that the gaon buras warned on October 9 against holding the Tsonglak-Nyi festival in Zaonger, citing a village council order issued on April 21.
Officials from the Pungro district administration and police met representatives of both sides, it stated, but preparations for the festival allegedly continued after they left.
On October 10, villagers approached Tikhir-speaking people gathered for the festival and asked them to disperse and leave, citing the earlier decision on village citizenship. An argument followed, according to the ZMA, and minor vandalism was reported at a house before the Tikhir group left the village.
The union further alleged that a voice message in Tikhir dialect circulated on WhatsApp, calling on Tikhir youth volunteers to mobilise and destroy houses belonging to Yimkhiung residents. The message heightened tensions in Pokphur and Longtsunger, it claimed.
The ZMA said houses belonging to Yimkhiung residents in Pokphur were subsequently set on fire, prompting anger in Zaonger. “In the aftermath, the Zaonger village public retaliated by setting fire to some houses belonging to the expelled members at Zaonger village,” the statement read.
The union maintained that it had no objection to the Tikhir community celebrating Tsonglak-Nyi outside Zaonger, but opposed the festival being held by people expelled from the village.