Efforts on to release Kuki, Naga people held hostage in Manipur, say Ministers

State government spokesman said talks with Kuki and Naga groups continued late on Thursday as authorities pursued an amicable solution to free the abducted Nagas and others held by various groups.

The United Naga Council said that Kuki groups have held 20 Nagas hostage in Kangpokpi district and set 6 p.m. May 15 as the deadline for the government to secure their release. The hostages include villagers at Leilon Vaiphei village and two priests at Sapermeina.

Deputy Chief Minister Losii Dikho said at least 44 people have been abducted, including an infant and two Naga Catholic trainee priests. He noted that 11 Nagas are at the camp of a Kuki SoO group, while the whereabouts of seven others are not known.

The Home Minister visited the family of Wilson Thanga, who was killed in Noney district, and went to the Jawaharlal Nehru Institute of Medical Sciences in Imphal where Thanga’s body was kept for autopsy. Three Naga MLAs accompanied him during the visits.

Home Minister Govindas Konthoujam said at least 38 people from the Kuki and Naga communities are being held hostage by different groups. He indicated that talks with groups continued till late on Thursday and that the government is working with civil society organisations and political leaders to secure their release.

Three Kuki church leaders were killed in ambushes in Kangpokpi district, with two identified as members of the Thadou Baptist Association of India. The fourth victim, a Naga villager, was killed in Noney district. The killings occurred on Wednesday, May 13, 2026.