14 Kuki Hostages Released in Manipur After Month-Long Captivity

The bodies of six Naga men — including two pastors — were recovered on June 10, 2026, in Kangpokpi district, Manipur, after a 24-hour joint search operation involving approximately 450 personnel from Manipur Police, CRPF, and Assam Rifles, aided by sniffer dogs and forensic teams. The men had been abducted from Leilon Vaiphei village on May 13, the same day three Kuki church leaders were killed in an ambush, triggering a wave of mutual abductions involving at least 44–51 civilians from both Kuki and Naga communities. Multiple sources reported the bodies were found in a severely mutilated condition, with reliable accounts suggesting the victims were tortured before being killed. The United Naga Council (UNC), the apex Naga body in Manipur, declared a 24-hour shutdown, refused to accept the bodies pending the fulfilment of demands, and called for the removal of Deputy Chief Minister Nemcha Kipgen — a Kuki whose husband leads a Kuki insurgent group under a Suspension of Operations agreement — as well as the abrogation of all such SoO agreements. The recovery followed the release on June 9 of 14 Kuki hostages held by Naga groups, a humanitarian gesture brokered by the UNC, Nagaland CM Neiphiu Rio, Meghalaya CM Conrad Sangma, and church bodies, which regional leaders described as an act of goodwill now overshadowed by the killings. The incident has drawn condemnation from the North East Students' Organisation (NESO) and other civil society groups, who are demanding swift, transparent investigations and accountability, warning that impunity is fuelling further violence in a state already destabilised by over three years of Kuki-Meitei conflict that has claimed more than 260 lives.