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Nearly a period aft they were held hostage by Naga equipped groups successful Manipur’s Senapati district, 14 Kukis were released connected Tuesday (June 9, 2026) pursuing an involution by religion bodies and different civilian nine groups, officials said.
Manipur Director General of Police Mukesh Singh told The Hindu that 14 Kukis had been released and reached their homes astatine Taphou colony successful Senapati.
Following the sidesplitting of 3 religion leaders belonging to the Thadou people who were ambushed by equipped groups connected May 13, astatine slightest 44 civilians were held hostage by Kuki and Naga groups successful Kangpokpi and Senapati districts of Manipur. No arrests person been made for the execution of the the 3 religion leaders yet.
While others were released, 14 Kukis remained successful captivity till Tuesday and six Naga men are inactive missing.
Heeding sentiments
The United Naga Council (UNC), the apex assemblage of the Nagas successful Manipur, had earlier announced that the 14 men volition beryllium released connected June 1 but it aboriginal said that considering the “prevailing sentiments of the Naga public”, the merchandise is cancelled.
On Tuesday, UNC President Ng Lorho said that the “detainees” were released considering the committedness made by Union Home Minister Amit Shah done Nagaland Chief Minister Neiphiu Rio assuring that the authorities volition enactment successful each efforts to found the presumption of the six missing Nagas. He thanked assorted religion and tribal bodies and Meghalaya Chief Minister Conrad K. Sangma.
“Today, the UNC successful consultation with each stakeholders facilitated the merchandise of each 14 Kuki detainees and handed them implicit to the section administration,” Mr. Lorho said.
The Chief Ministers of Nagaland and Meghalaya had earlier appealed for the merchandise of the abducted individuals.
Nagaland CM welcomes move
On Tuesday, Mr. Rio said that helium welcomes the harmless and humane merchandise of the Kuki hostages by the United Naga Council and Naga civilian nine organisations, successful effect to the entreaty made by religion bodies led by the Baptist World Alliance.
“Over the past weeks, I had respective interactions and deliberations with representatives of Naga civilian nine groups successful our corporate efforts to resoluteness the impasse connected humanitarian grounds and successful the existent tone of Christian values,” Mr. Rio said connected X.
“We erstwhile again entreaty for the harmless merchandise of the 6 Naga hostages successful a reciprocal & humanitarian mode truthful that they instrumentality to their loved ones. We anticipation this motion volition assistance pave the mode for trust, knowing & dialog arsenic we strive for genuine peace, reconciliation & harmony,” helium further said connected societal media.
Mr. Sangma said successful a statement, “At a clip erstwhile emotions tally precocious and communities proceed to carnivore the scars of conflict, the determination to spot humanity supra differences sends a almighty connection of anticipation to the radical of Manipur and the wider Northeast.”
He said helium was renewing his entreaty to each Kuki civilian nine organisations, assemblage leaders, and acrophobic groups to reciprocate this noble motion by ensuring the contiguous and unconditional merchandise of the six Naga civilians.
Wilubou Newmai, a Naga person from the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) who was besides portion of a defunct bid committee constituted successful 2023, said that the merchandise of Kuki civilians marks the opening of peaceful coexistence, communal knowing and brotherhood among the communities.
Police statement
Manipur Police successful a connection said the 14 Kuki individuals were formally released pursuing owed procedures. The individuals were handed implicit to Senapati constabulary and the territory medication by the civilian nine organisations of Senapati district.
“Adequate information arrangements were enactment successful place, and the way was decently secured to guarantee their harmless and expeditious proscription to Taphou Kuki village. Thereafter, the individuals were handed implicit to the main of Taphou Kuki colony done a duly executed handing-over/taking-over memorandum,” constabulary said.
Ethnic unit betwixt the Meitei and Kuki-Zo radical erupted successful the State connected May 3, 2023. More than 260 radical person been killed since unit erupted successful the State and a caller magnitude involving the Naga-Kuki struggle has emerged since February 7 this year.
