GUWAHATI: Violence broke out in Manipur’s Senapati district on Wednesday night after the mortal remains of six Naga “hostages” were recovered by the police, while unidentified gunmen killed two Kukis and set ablaze several houses at a village in Kamjong district early Thursday morning.
Both Senapati and Kamjong are Naga-majority districts.
An irate mob targeted the Senapati office of Naga People’s Front (NPF), taking its furniture and other properties out on a road and setting them on fire. The NPF is an ally of the state’s ruling BJP.
Protests also erupted outside the Jawaharlal Nehru Institute of Medical Sciences in Imphal on Wednesday night after the mortal remains of the six hostages were taken there for post-mortem and identification. The police used tear gas to disperse the mob.
The six Nagas were among 20 people from the community who were abducted on May 13 from two different places. On the same day, 28 Kukis were also abducted. The incidents followed the killings of three church leaders from the Thadou community by unidentified gunmen in Kangpokpi district.
On May 15, Nagas released 14 Kuki civilians, and similarly, Kukis freed 14 Naga individuals. The remaining 14 Kukis were released on June 9.
The mortal remains of the six Nagas were recovered on Wednesday after nearly 24 hours of sustained search operations involving around 450 personnel of Manipur Police, Central Reserve Police Force, and Assam Rifles, assisted by sniffer dogs and forensic expert teams.
A 24-hour shutdown, called by the United Naga Council in protest against the killings, affected normal life in the state’s Naga areas on Thursday.
Meanwhile, the two Kukis in Kamjong were killed at the Kultuh village near the Myanmar border.
The Eastern Kuki Chiefs’ Association alleged that the attack was perpetrated by an armed Naga outfit. “The attackers mercilessly set fire to seven houses, including the village church, causing extensive destruction to both private property and a sacred place of worship,” the association said in a statement.
However, the Eastern Command Naga Village Guard claimed that the attack was perpetrated by an armed Kuki group following its differences with another Kuki outfit over area domination along the international border.