Tensions sharpened across Manipur on 2 June as Naga and Kuki organisations intensified their agitations over an unresolved hostage standoff, even as Central and state security forces pressed on with joint search operations to rescue 20 captives still held by armed groups, officials said.

UNC defers Kuki hostage release

The United Naga Council (UNC), the apex body of the Nagas in Manipur, at the last minute deferred its proposed move to facilitate the release of 14 Kuki hostages. The council insisted that six Naga civilians allegedly held captive by Kuki groups must first be set free, hardening positions on both sides of the divide.

Naga youth body issues sharp warning

In one of the strongest interventions since the abduction of the six Naga civilians, the youth organisation Khanuithot-Khon opposed any move to release detained Kuki individuals without first securing verifiable proof of life and the safe return of the missing Nagas.

In a direct message to the UNC leadership, the group warned that any adverse fallout from decisions taken ‘without transparency, safeguards or public accountability' would rest squarely on those who authorised them. It also demanded full disclosure of negotiations, arguing that ‘no process should move forward in secrecy while the affected families continue to suffer in uncertainty.'

Beyond the hostage issue, Khanuithot-Khon called for a clear separation between civil leadership and operational security matters, urging accountability-driven decision-making.

Joint search operations widen

Central and state security forces on Tuesday continued extensive joint search operations across Kangpokpi, Senapati and adjoining districts to rescue the 20 members of the Naga and Kuki communities still in captivity. A police official said at least 50 people from both communities were reportedly held hostage by different armed groups in the Kuki-Zo inhabited Kangpokpi district and the Naga-dominated Senapati district after the violent incidents of 13 May, when three church leaders were killed and four others injured in Kangpokpi.

According to the official, around 30 people from both communities were released on 14 and 15 May following sustained efforts by authorities, community leaders and civil society organisations.

Shutdown, fear grip hill districts

Normal life remained severely disrupted across Kuki-Zo inhabited areas, particularly in Kangpokpi, after the Kuki Inpi Manipur (KIM) — an apex Kuki tribal body — enforced a total shutdown from the midnight of 13 May following the killing of the three Baptist church leaders. Tension persisted as both communities continued separate agitations over the killings and the captivity of their members.

Case transferred to NIA

Manipur's Commissioner-cum-Secretary (Home) N. Ashok Kumar, in a letter to UNC President N.G. Lorho, said the hostage case involving the missing persons has been transferred to the National Investigation Agency (NIA) to ensure an ‘independent, transparent and expeditious investigation.'

‘As regards action against those involved in the abduction of civilians, the ongoing investigation through the NIA will identify all persons responsible. Anyone found involved shall be dealt with strictly in accordance with the law, irrespective of affiliation or status,' the Commissioner-cum-Secretary (Home) said. He added that the state government remains committed to protecting all citizens, strengthening security in vulnerable areas and preserving inter-community peace, and appealed to stakeholders to facilitate the safe release of the remaining hostages and help lift any economic blockade.

With the NIA now formally involved and community pressure mounting on both sides, the coming days will test whether back-channel talks can break the deadlock before agitations harden further.