6 Naga men, believed to have been abducted a month ago, found dead in Manipur

A senior security official said that the bodies were located in an area between Leilon Vaiphei and Kharam Vaiphei, close to where a large number of people from Konsakhul had been abducted on May 13.

Hostilities between the two communities have spiked after three church leaders from the Thadou Baptist Association were killed in an attack, which Kuki groups alleged Naga armed groups were responsible for. In response, a number of Naga villagers were abducted, including several people who were returning from a wedding party on May 13.

The six missing Naga men had been identified by locals of Konsakhul as Manu Thiumai, Kenpibou, Dilip Thiumai, Phenrilungbou, Kaliwangbou, and Phenrongwibou. Manu Thiumai and Kenpibou were pastors.

Subsequently, Naga groups had also abducted more than two dozen Kuki villagers in Senapati district.

On May 15, both sides released 14 hostages each, but Naga groups continued to hold 14 hostages demanding the release of the six men who they alleged were abducted by Kuki groups. On the other hand, Kuki groups claimed that they had released all their hostages and that they did not have information about the whereabouts of the six men.

As the hostage crisis drew out, on Tuesday, the 14 Kuki men were released and handed over at Taphou, a village in Kangpokpi district where most of them are from. The United Naga Council, a top Naga body based in Senapati, had cited a “commitment” issued by the Manipur government to trace the six men within “the next 48 hours”.