Two found dead; KIM, KOHUR condemn
Source: The Sangai Express
Kangpokpi, March 12 2026:
Two abducted Kuki men were found dead in the forested areas of Thawai Kuki, Ukhrul district early Thursday, only hours after the release of several Tangkhul individuals who had been detained amid escalating tensions.
The victims have been identified as Thengin Baite (40), son of late Sempao Baite and Thangboimang Khongsai (35), son of late Kaipao Khongsai.
Both men were allegedly abducted by suspected Tangkhul volunteers on Wednesday.
The abduction sparked widespread outrage among Kuki villagers, prompting the detention of several Tangkhul individuals in a retaliatory move on Wednesday.
Following intense negotiations and intervention by the State and district administrations, civil society organisations from both communities, and security forces, the detained Tangkhul individuals were released early Thursday morning.
However, the two abducted Kuki men could not be saved.
Barely hours after the release of the detained Tangkhuls, local search teams discovered the body of one of the abducted men.
The lifeless body of the second victim was later found a short distance away, sharply escalating tensions in the region.
Meanwhile, the Shangkai Village Authority alleged that the chain of events was triggered by an earlier incident on March 11 .
According to the village body, Tangkhul volunteers reportedly opened fire on Kuki cultivators working in their fields near Thawai Kuki village and set several jhum huts belonging to villagers ablaze.
The village authority further stated that in another incident the same day, two villagers who had gone to repair a water pipeline were allegedly abducted by the same group.
Yet, in another firing incident the same day in the same area, one resident of Thawai Kuki village sustained a bullet injury to his leg and was rushed to hospital for medical treatment.
The Kuki Inpi Manipur (KIM) has strongly condemned the brutal killing of two Kuki civilians in Ukhrul district, allegedly by cadres of the NSCN-IM, and demanded that the perpetrators be handed over to the National Investigation Agency (NIA) within 48 hours.
The Kuki Organisation for Human Rights Trust (KOHUR) has also condemned the incident in the strongest terms, alleging that Tangkhul militants affiliated with the NSCN-IM had abducted and later killed the two unarmed civilians.
According to the rights group, villagers had earlier released Tangkhul passengers travelling to and from Imphal on humanitarian grounds following appeals from the State Government in the hope of securing the safe release of the abducted civilians.
"However, in a shocking betrayal of this humanitarian gesture, once the Tangkhul passengers were released, the two innocent Kuki men were reportedly killed mercilessly by the militants," the organisation said.
The organisation demanded the immediate identification and arrest of all those involved in the killings, warning that failure to take swift and decisive action would compel it to pursue all democratic and legal avenues to ensure justice and accountability.
Both the organisations asserted that the sanctity of civilian life must be protected at all costs and cautioned that any delay in delivering justice could further escalate tensions in the already volatile hill districts of Manipur.
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