A high-level delegation from the Liangmai Naga community met Manipur Chief Minister Yumnam Khemchand Singh and demanded the immediate release or return of bodies of six men, including a pastor, who were abducted more than a week ago in Kangpokpi district.
The appeal has once again highlighted the fragile security situation and continuing ethnic tensions in Manipur amid the wider conflict that has affected the state since 2023.
The six missing men, all belonging to the Liangmai Naga community and mostly residents of Konsakhul village, were reportedly taken hostage on May 13 after a deadly ambush that killed three Kuki-Zo church leaders from the Thadou Baptist Association.
Those killed in the ambush were identified as Reverend Vumthang Sitlhou, president of the Thadou Baptist Association and former general secretary of the Manipur Baptist Convention, Reverend Kaigoulen Lhouvum, and Pastor Paogoulen Sitlhou. The three were travelling from Churachandpur to Kangpokpi when their convoy was attacked between Kotzim and Kotlen. Several others were also injured in the incident.
Naga groups alleged that armed men from Kuki areas abducted around 20 Naga civilians from Leilon Vaiphei village and nearby areas soon after the attack. While many were later released through exchanges between both sides, reports said around 14 individuals from each side were released on May 16. However, the whereabouts of the remaining six Naga men are still unknown.
One of the missing men has been identified as Reverend Manu Thiumai, a pastor from a neighbouring village. Naga leaders said that even if the men are no longer alive, their bodies should be returned to their families for last rites.
During the meeting held at the Chief Minister’s Secretariat, leaders from the Liangmai Naga Council, Liangmai Pui Naga Ruangdi, Liangmai Naga Katimai Ruangdi, and the Liangmai Naga Women Union submitted a joint memorandum to the government.
The organisations demanded urgent steps to resolve the hostage crisis and also called for deployment of state police personnel in vulnerable Liangmai villages in Kangpokpi district for better security.
Chief Minister Singh, who took office in February 2026 after the end of President’s Rule, assured the delegation that state police and CRPF personnel were carrying out combing operations in suspected areas. He appealed for calm and said the government was making “all-out efforts” to reduce tensions and restore normalcy.
“All communities should shun violence and help the government in bringing peace,” he said, according to an official release.
The latest incident comes amid continuing ethnic violence in Manipur since May 2023, mainly involving the Meitei community in the valley and Kuki-Zo tribes in the hill districts. The conflict has led to more than 250 deaths and displaced tens of thousands of people.
Apart from the Meitei-Kuki conflict, tensions between Naga and Kuki-Zo groups have also surfaced in districts such as Kangpokpi and Senapati, where both communities live in adjoining areas.
Naga leaders have denied allegations linking them to the May 13 ambush. Some groups have suggested the attack may be linked to internal Kuki dynamics or other actors. Kuki groups, on the other hand, have claimed that 14 of their own people remain in Naga custody, increasing fears of retaliatory actions. Both sides have maintained that many of those being held are innocent civilians, including students and daily wage workers.
The incident has also raised questions about security arrangements because the abduction reportedly took place near the Leimakhong military garrison. Leaders of the United Naga Council expressed concern over the inability of security forces to trace the missing men despite heavy deployment in the area.
Protests have intensified in recent days. The Koubru Range Liangmai Women’s Union organised demonstrations in Kanglatongbi with support from several civil society groups. Shutdown calls by Kuki organisations and threats of economic blockades by Naga bodies have further increased social and economic pressure in the region.
Church organisations from both communities have appealed for calm and urged the immediate release of hostages.
The BJP-led government headed by Yumnam Khemchand Singh is now facing the challenge of handling the complex ethnic tensions in the state. Although the Chief Minister recently reached out to Kuki villages, the latest incident has become a major test for the administration’s efforts to build trust among communities.
