2 weeks ago
1
Manipur Deputy Chief Minister Losii Dikho said connected Thursday (May 14, 2026) that negotiations are connected to unafraid the merchandise of astatine slightest 44 civilians who person been held hostage by Kuki and Naga groups successful the Kangpokpi and Senapati districts. Those abducted see an babe and 2 Naga Catholic trainee priests, said Mr. Dikho, who is starring the negotiations connected behalf of the State government. The civilians were abducted pursuing the sidesplitting of 3 Thadou religion leaders successful the Kangpokpi territory connected May 13.
Speaking with The Hindu, the Deputy Chief Minister said that the killing of religion leaders who were returning from a spiritual normal successful Churachandpur was “unprecedented” arsenic specified attacks did not hap adjacent astatine the tallness of erstwhile conflicts. A conception of the Thadous accidental they are chiseled from the Kuki radical of tribes.
‘No radical claimed responsibility’
“Their vehicles intelligibly displayed the sanction plates that they were from the church. The leaders who were moving for bid were attacked; this is unfortunate. In each the conflicts truthful far, religion leaders were ne'er attacked,” Mr. Dikho said. He further said that nary of the militant groups person claimed work for the killings and the incidental was reported conscionable 2 days earlier the projected sojourn of Chief Minister Y. Khemchand Singh to Churachandpur, a Kuki-Zomi area.
The 18 missing Nagas see 11 women, six men and an infant, the Deputy CM said, adding that 7 of them are yet to beryllium traced. There are 28 Kuki hostages and 2 of them, including a insignificant miss and a idiosyncratic addicted to narcotics, were released by the Naga groups, helium said.
“We person been trying to find an amicable solution and portion talks were connected with Kuki and Naga groups till precocious connected Thursday, we person not been capable to scope a conclusion. At slightest 11 Nagas are contiguous astatine the campy of a Kuki SoO (insurgent radical successful Suspension of Operations pact with the government) radical but the whereabouts of 7 others are not known yet. This has led to hold successful the merchandise of each hostages,” said Mr. Dikho, who belongs to the Naga People’s Front, an confederation spouse of the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).
Since April 7, Manipur has witnessed 15 killings, including that of 2 children successful Bishnupur. The killings proceed adjacent arsenic Ukhrul, a Naga-dominated district, has seen a caller struggle look betwixt Tangkhul Nagas and Kukis.
More than 260 radical person been killed successful taste unit that erupted betwixt the Meitei and Kuki-Zo communities successful 2023, and is present gradually spreading to see tensions betwixt the Nagas and Kuki-Zo groups.
Two information officials said that 1 of the factions of the Zeliangrong United Front (ZUF), a Naga insurgent group, is simply a large fishy successful the onslaught connected the religion leaders but each different angles are being probed. In a statement, the radical has denied immoderate engagement successful the attack.
