Imphal, May 21 (IANS) Kuki Inpi Manipur (KIM), one of the apex bodies of the Kuki tribal community, on Thursday extended the ongoing shutdown across Kuki-Zo inhabited areas by another 48 hours to protest the continued detention of 14 members of their community by rival groups since May 13.
KIM Information and Publicity Secretary Janghaolun Haokip said that the extension of the shutdown became necessary due to the continued detention and hostage-taking of Kuki-Zo individuals in Naga-dominated Senapati district.
“The unconditional and immediate release of all hostages remains of utmost importance and continues to be our primary concern. Despite the disturbing developments and rising tensions since the barbaric killings of three Kuki-Zo church leaders on May 13, the Kuki-Zo community has continued to exercise maximum restraint and responsibility in the interest of peace and coexistence,” Haokip said in a statement.
He stated that even after reports emerged regarding the abduction and detention of Kuki-Zo civilians, the community ensured free and safe passage to more than 200 Naga individuals as a humanitarian gesture and in the spirit of maintaining communal harmony.
The statement further said that the President of the Maralui Karalimei Swijoikang (Maram Students’ Union) was also released on humanitarian grounds as a goodwill gesture, reflecting the Kuki-Zo community’s commitment to de-escalation and peaceful understanding between the two communities.
Haokip also recalled that during the Litan imbroglio in Ukhrul district on March 11-12, 2026, the Kuki-Zo community facilitated the safe release of 21 Tangkhul Naga hostages, even though two Kuki-Zo individuals were killed and two others were brutally assaulted during the incident.
He added that on May 14, five Naga individuals were released by the Kuki-Zo side along the IT Road as another gesture aimed at preserving peace and preventing further escalation of tensions.
A police official said that more than 40 people belonging to the Kuki and Naga communities had been held hostage by various groups in Kuki-Zo inhabited Kangpokpi district and Naga-dominated Senapati district following the incidents that occurred on May 13.
However, according to the official, around 30 people from both communities were released on May 14 and 15 following sustained efforts by the authorities, community leaders, and various civil society organisations (CSOs).
Normal life continued to remain severely affected across Kuki-Zo inhabited areas, particularly in Kangpokpi district, after KIM enforced a three-day total shutdown from midnight of May 13 following the killing of three Baptist Church leaders and injuries to four others in Kangpokpi district.
Members of the Naga community have also been staging protests and demonstrations in different districts, demanding the release of villagers belonging to their community who are still being held captive.
The Central and state security forces on Thursday continued joint search operations in Manipur’s Kangpokpi, Senapati, and adjoining districts for the ninth consecutive day to rescue those still being held hostage by armed groups, officials said.
Meanwhile, a 10-member delegation of church leaders has been visiting Naga-inhabited Senapati district since Tuesday as part of efforts to defuse the ongoing tensions between the Naga and Kuki tribal communities.
The church leaders had met Chief Minister Yumnam Khemchand Singh on Monday and discussed the prevailing ethnic crisis in Kangpokpi and Senapati districts.
A Manipur government official said that during their visit, the church leaders held meetings with representatives of the United Naga Council (UNC), the Naga People’s Organisation (NPO), and other civil society organisations at the UNC office in Senapati district.
The discussions focused on the prevailing tensions between the two tribal communities and explored possible ways to ease the crisis arising out of the hostage incidents that followed the killing of the three church leaders on May 13.
Meanwhile, the North East Students’ Organisation (NESO), an apex body representing eight major student organisations from the Northeastern states, expressed grave concern after a meeting in Guwahati over repeated incidents of ambushes, killings, abductions, and intimidation of innocent civilians.
NESO said that such incidents have created an atmosphere of fear, insecurity, and instability across the region.
–IANS
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