NIA to probe abduction of 6 Nagas: Khemchand

Guwahati: Manipur CM Yumnam Khemchand Singh on Saturday announced that the case relating to six Naga villagers abducted by armed militants will be handed over to the National Investigation Agency (NIA).

The announcement was made during a meeting between a six-member delegation of the United Naga Council (UNC) and the CM and his cabinet colleagues to discuss the prevailing law and order situation in the state, an official statement stated. The meeting was held at the chief minister’s secretariat in Imphal.

The UNC delegation demanded urgent action to trace the six abducted villagers from Konsakhul in Kangpokpi district.

“The chief minister informed the UNC delegation that the case of the six abducted Nagas would be handed over to the NIA,” the statement said. It added that the killing of three church leaders in Kangpokpi on May 13 had also been transferred to the central agency.

Search and rescue operations had been underway since May 14 to locate the missing villagers, Khemchand said. He appealed to the UNC to help secure the release of 14 Kuki civilians still in captivity and urged Kuki organisations to cooperate in tracing the six missing Nagas.

The chief minister called on all communities to support the govt’s efforts to restore peace and normalcy.

The abductions took place on May 13, hours after three church leaders were killed in an ambush in Kangpokpi. More than 38 people were taken hostage in Kangpokpi and Senapati districts. Of them, 31 have since been released. The UNC claims six Naga men remain untraced, while the Kuki Inpi Manipur, the apex body of the Kuki tribes, claimed that 14 members of their community are still being held by Naga groups.