Day after Kuki hostages’ release, 6 abducted Nagas found dead in Manipur

GUWAHATI: Security forces traced the bodies of six Nagas abducted by armed Kuki groups in Manipur four weeks ago to an undisclosed location near a village in Kangpokpi district on Wednesday, reigniting ethnic tensions that seemed to have eased just the day before with the release of 14 Kuki hostages in Naga captivity .

There was no official statement until late in the evening about the state of the bodies. United Naga Council (UNC), the community’s largest forum in Manipur, responded with a 24-hour shutdown call across Naga-inhabited areas from 6am Thursday and said it wouldn’t receive the bodies until the Union and state govternments ensured justice was done.

UNC’s demands include abrogation of the Suspension of Operations (SoO) agreement with Kuki militant groups, arrest and prosecution of those allegedly involved in the abductions and killings, and a notification declaring Kuki outfit KNF-P as a terrorist organisation.

The bodies of Kenpibou Chawang, Manu Thiumai, Phenrongwibo Thiumai, Dilip Thiumai, Kaliwangbou Abonmai and Ch. Phenrilung, all from Konsakhul Naga village in Kangpokpi, were found in the same district after a 24-hour search by a 450-strong joint team including police, CRPF and Assam Rifles. The first two were pastors.

As tempers flared, a security convoy moved the bodies to the Jawaharlal Nehru Institute of Medical Sciences in Imphal for post-mortem.

The origin of the hostage crisis was the killing of three pastors from Thadou Baptist Association on May 13 in an ambush Kuki groups blamed armed Naga outfits for. In retaliation, one Chiru Naga civilian was shot dead in Noney district and several Naga villagers were abducted in Kangpokpi. Naga groups then abducted over two dozen Kuki villagers in Senapati.

Both sides freed 14 hostages each on May 15, but Naga groups continued to hold 14 Kuki villagers, insisting on the release of the six men they said Kukis still held captive.

Deputy CM Nemcha Kipgen, a Kuki, termed the “unlawful killing” of the six Naga hostages “a heinous act of violence” that had left Manipur in shock. Nagaland CM Neiphiu Rio, who played a role in the release of the 14 Kuki captives Tuesday, wrote on X, “I am deeply saddened by the tragic loss of the six Naga men whose mortal remains were recovered today. I strongly condemn this heinous act and extend my heartfelt condolences to their families.”

Kuki Inpi Manipur, the apex body of the Kuki community, too condemned the killings and urged authorities to conduct a thorough investigation “and allow the law to take its course”.