At least three persons from the Kuki community were killed in Manipur after an armed group allegedly from the Naga community attacked a Kuki village along the Imphal-Tamenglong road in Kangpokpi district, a senior police official in the district told Scroll.The three persons who died were identified as 40-year-old Tingneichin Lhouvum, 36-year-old Lamtinthang Lhoujem and 21-year-old Hoineineng Lhoujem. Four persons were also injured in the attack.This is the second violent attack reported along the Imphal-Tamenglong road within a week. On Thursday, unidentified gunmen ambushed and killed four Naga civilians.Tensions between the Kukis and the Nagas escalated in Manipur in February after an alleged assault involving members of the Tangkhul Naga and the Kuki-Zo communities in the Ukhrul district. This followed the ethnic clashes that broke out in Manipur in May 2023 between the Meitei and Kuki-Zo-Hmar communities. At least 260 persons have been killed and more than 59,000 persons displaced since then in the conflict.The latest killings take the toll in the Kuki-Naga conflict to at least 34 since the conflict began in February this year.The Imphal-Tamenglong road is a crucial route in the area, with Kuki and Naga communities living in close proximity in villages along it.On Monday, nine Naga MLAs, including Deputy Chief Minister Losii Dikho, wrote to Union Home Minister Amit Shah seeking his “immediate intervention” to restore normalcy in Manipur. They demanded the immediate arrest of Kuki-Zo leaders who have “publicly claimed responsibility” for killing Naga civilians.Census deferredIn the backdrop of these attacks, the Union government has deferred the Census 2027 exercise in Manipur, the state government said on Monday.The decision was taken at a meeting chaired by Union Home Minister Amit Shah, it added. The Ministry of Home Affairs is yet to issue a statement.The first phase of Census 2027, involving house listing, was scheduled to begin in Manipur on Tuesday and continue till September 30. The preparations for the exercise had faced disruptions amid protests in the state.The protests were linked to a demand from sections of civil society in Manipur that the National Register of Citizens be updated before the Census is conducted. The groups, largely representing Meitei, Naga and Meitei Pangal communities, have argued that an NRC based on 1951 records is necessary to identify those they allege are undocumented migrants from Myanmar, the Hindustan Times reported.Fourteen civil society organisations representing these communities have approached senior political leaders, including Bharatiya Janata Party chief Nitin Nabin and Union ministers, seeking that the NRC be implemented before the Census, the newspaper reported. The organisations do not represent the Kuki-Zo communities.The groups have alleged that migrants from Myanmar have settled in parts of Manipur and could be counted as residents in the Census.Inputs from Rokibuz Zaman. Written by Tanya Shrivastava. Edited by Neerad Pandharipande.