Twenty members of the Naga and Kuki communities remain untraced in Manipur's hill districts, allegedly held hostage by armed groups, despite nearly four weeks of intensive joint search operations by central and state security forces, officials said on Sunday, 7 June. The missing include 6 Naga and 14 Kuki community members.

Search Operations on the Ground

To prevent any spillover of recent violence from Kangpokpi district, security forces carried out surprise joint combing operations in areas around Litan, Mahadev, and Sinakeithel villages along the Imphal-Dimapur National Highway (NH-2). Personnel conducted joint patrolling in villages inhabited by both communities and traced and dismantled several illegal bunkers in the process.

According to a police official, village authorities and civil society organisations (CSOs) were approached for support and assured of a continued security presence. 'Village authorities and civil society organisations were approached for their essential support and were assured of the continued presence of security forces in the area to ward off any threats,' the official said. Local youths were urged not to be drawn into violence linked to incidents in other areas.

Background: How the Crisis Began

According to officials, at least 50 people from the Kuki and Naga communities were allegedly taken hostage by different armed groups — in the Kuki-Zo inhabited Kangpokpi district and the Naga-dominated Senapati district — following violent incidents on 13 May, in which three church leaders were killed and four others injured in Kangpokpi. Around 30 people from both communities were released on 14 and 15 May following sustained efforts by authorities, community leaders, and CSOs. The 20 who remain missing have now been untraced for over 26 days.

This comes amid a broader, protracted ethnic conflict in Manipur that has claimed hundreds of lives and displaced tens of thousands since May 2023. The targeting of church leaders and the alleged mass abduction mark a sharp escalation even by the standards of the ongoing crisis.

NIA Probe and Government Response

Manipur Chief Minister Yumnam Khemchand Singh had earlier stated that cases relating to the abduction of the six Naga villagers and the killing of three church leaders in Kangpokpi on 13 May had been handed over to the National Investigation Agency (NIA) for a detailed probe. Various organisations representing both the Naga and Kuki communities have been continuously agitating and demanding the safe rescue of the abducted individuals.

Operations are set to continue in Kangpokpi, Senapati, and adjoining districts to ensure the safety and well-being of local residents, maintain highway security, and facilitate the rescue of the remaining hostages, the official added.

Other Security Developments

In a separate operation, security forces arrested two cadres of the People's Liberation Army (PLA) and its political wing, the Revolutionary People's Front (RPF), from the Waithou Sangomsang area in Thoubal district. The arrested individuals were identified as Sanasam Sanamatum Meitei alias Tompok alias Oneman, 32, and Yengkokpam Premchand Singh alias Chingsanglakpa, 26.

Additionally, security forces recovered a cache of arms, ammunition, and explosive materials from India-Myanmar border areas in Tengnoupal district. The haul included a country-made gun, a 9 mm pistol with a magazine, a .22 US-made pistol with a magazine, four radio sets, and four Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs). The recovery underscores persistent concerns about arms smuggling along the porous border corridor.

With the NIA probe underway and search operations ongoing, the fate of the 20 untraced hostages remains the most urgent flashpoint in Manipur's fragile security landscape.