Two Missing Kuki Men Found Dead in Manipur Amid Ethnic Tensions Two Kuki men who had gone missing since Wednesday were discovered dead in a forested area of Thawai Kuki village in Manipur’s Kamjong district on Thursday, according to a senior police officer. The men, identified as 42-year-old Thengin Baite from Thawai Kuki village and 35-year-old Thangboimang Khongsai from Shangkai village in neighbouring Ukhrul district, were allegedly abducted by village volunteers from the Tangkhul Naga community. The Kuki-based Shangkai Village Authority claimed the men were targeted after they were reportedly fired upon while repairing a water pipeline. The term “village volunteers” refers to armed civilians who have been guarding villages since ethnic clashes erupted between the Kuki-Zo-Hmars and Meiteis communities in May 2023. The Shangkai Village Authority accused Tangkhul volunteers of opening fire on villagers working in the fields, leading to the men’s disappearance. In a statement, the authority expressed concern over the safety of detained villagers and noted that locals had halted traffic along the Ukhrul road to pressure authorities. Meanwhile, tensions escalated as Tangkhul Naga individuals traveling on the Ukhrul-Imphal route were allegedly abducted by Kuki groups. The Tangkhul Naga Long, the community’s leadership body, reported that over 20 civilian passengers were taken hostage at Shangkai. Chief Minister Khemchand Yumnam condemned the abductions, stating the government was monitoring the situation and would take action against those involved. The detained civilians were released on Thursday morning, hours before the bodies of the two missing Kuki men were found. The conflict between the Kuki and Tangkhul Naga communities has a history of violence.#tangkhul_naga_long #shangkai_village_authority #thengin_baite #thangboimang_khongsai #kemchand_yumnam
Civilians held captive, fresh tension in Manipur’s Ukhrul Fresh tension erupted in Manipur’s Ukhrul district after an alleged Kuki group reportedly detained 18 Nagas, including women and children, on March 11, 2026. The incident occurred when the hostages were traveling in three vehicles—two private cars and a commercial carrier—along National Highway 202, also known as the Ukhrul-Imphal Road. Their vehicles were stopped at Thawai Kuki village in the Shangkai area. The captives, some of whom were en route to a wedding, were reportedly stripped of their mobile phones, leaving their families in distress. The Litan police station, which oversees the village, has faced prior violence and arson in February after a Kuki group assaulted a Naga man during an alleged drunken brawl. The conflict followed an anti-poppy cultivation drive by Naga men, who reportedly detained a Kuki poppy cultivator, sparking retaliation. It remains unclear whether the Kuki man was released. Chief Minister Yumnam Khemchand Singh expressed “profound concern” over the situation and directed senior police and administrative officials to secure the release of the civilians while maintaining control in the district. He urged civil society organizations to help restore calm, appealing to those responsible for the incident to “uphold the highest traditions of humanity” and ensure the safe and unconditional release of all captives. The government assured families and the public that the matter was being treated seriously and that steps would be taken to prosecute the culprits. The Tangkhul Naga Long, the dominant Naga organization in the district, condemned the incident as a grave violation of human rights and a breakdown of law and order.#manipur #ukhrul_district #kuki_group #tangkhul_naga_long #shangkai_village_authority
