A joint team led by the National Investigation Agency (NIA) on Friday arrested two persons in connection with the killing of six Naga civilians in Manipur's Kangpokpi district, marking a significant development in a case that has heightened ethnic tensions in the state.
According to police, the operation was carried out in the early hours of Friday at Leilon Vaiphei village by a joint team comprising the NIA, Manipur Police and the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF). Acting on specific intelligence inputs, the team apprehended two suspects — Ayingbi, a woman, and Pradip — from the Kuki-Zo-dominated village for their alleged role in the killings.
The case relates to the recovery of the bodies of six Naga civilians near Leilon Vaiphei on June 10. The victims had reportedly been abducted during a series of violent incidents that unfolded in the area following the killing of three Thadou church leaders in an ambush on May 13.
The murders sparked widespread protests by both Naga and Meitei groups, with demonstrators demanding the immediate arrest of those responsible. Naga organisations also imposed blockades on roads leading to Kangpokpi district, causing severe shortages of essential commodities in the Kuki-Zo-majority region.
The killings occurred amid a broader hostage crisis that followed the May 13 violence. After the ambush on the Thadou church leaders, Kuki groups allegedly abducted Naga civilians, while Naga groups held Kuki civilians captive in retaliation. Security forces facilitated the release of 14 abducted members from each side through a hostage exchange on May 15.
However, while the United Naga Council (UNC) and church bodies later persuaded Naga groups to release the remaining 14 Kuki captives on June 9, concerns over the fate of the remaining Naga hostages intensified after Kuki-Zo groups did not immediately reciprocate. The bodies of the six Naga civilians were recovered the following day.
Following the incident, Kuki Zo Council (KZC) chairman Henlienthang Thanglet publicly expressed regret, saying, "I admit the Kuki-Zo people made a grave mistake in killing the six Naga civilians. It was done out of emotion. I strongly condemn it. I am very sorry and apologise on behalf of my people."
A day later, however, the KZC issued a clarification stating that Thanglet's remarks had been misinterpreted as an admission of collective responsibility by the Kuki-Zo community. The organisation said the apology was made purely on humanitarian grounds and was not intended to assign collective guilt. The clarification came after Naga organisations objected to the manner in which the statement had been interpreted.
The investigation into the killings is continuing, with the NIA and other security agencies probing the sequence of events surrounding the abduction and murder of the six civilians amid Manipur's prolonged ethnic conflict.
