Image for representation purposes. | Photo credit: File
The apex body of Kuki Civil Society Organizations (CSOs) has refused to claim the bodies of two Kuki men who were allegedly killed by Nagas in Kamjong district of Manipur on Wednesday (March 12, 2026) until the perpetrators are identified, arrested and punished.
It announced a “total shutdown” along the Imphal-Ukhrul road from Friday (March 13, 2026) to protest the killings, and the Ukhrul district unit of the Kuki CSO Working Committee also demanded the relocation of all Kuki villages from the Tangkhul Naga-dominated Ukhrul district to the Kukikpi-majority Kang district.
According to the committee, the bodies of the two slain men, Thenkhogin Baite and Thangboimang Lunkim, were found in the jungle near Thawai village. They were blindfolded, their hands tied behind their backs and their bodies showed signs of being attacked with sharp objects before they were shot.
Thawai village is located in Kamjong district, barely 1 km from Shangkai, another violence-hit village in adjoining Ukhrul district and off the Imphal-Ukhrul road.
The committee said the bodies were found at around 8:30 a.m. on Wednesday by a joint search team made up of villagers from Shangkai and Thavai and members of the Border Security Force. The bodies were reportedly taken to Imphal for postmortem on the evening of March 12 under police escort, he added.
The committee alleged that the authorities and security forces did not make serious efforts to find the two men who went missing on March 11, while prioritizing the safety and evacuation of the 21 passengers from Tangkhul. Kuki groups allegedly held these 21 people, including women and children, captive in retaliation for attacks on Kuki villages, which Naga organizations claimed was an action against poppy cultivation.
“The bodies of the deceased will not be claimed until the perpetrators are identified, arrested and sentenced to death… The investigation should be handed over to the National Investigation Agency to ensure transparency and impartiality,” the committee said.
The committee further said that the Kukis in Ukhrul district feel deeply threatened after peacefully coexisting with the Tangkhul Christian community. It therefore demanded the relocation of all Kuki villages in Ukhrul to Kangpokpi district to ensure the safety and security of its residents.
“Until these demands are met, the community has announced a complete shutdown on the Imphal-Ukhrul road,” it said, warning of intensified agitation “until justice is served”.
Unlike the two main highways that pass through predominantly Kuki areas, the Imphal-Ukhrul Ring Road has been the only safe passage for the movement of people between the Imphal Valley and the country beyond since ethnic clashes between the Kuki-Zo and Meitei communities broke out in May 2023. The conflict has left more than 260 people dead and around 62 displaced.
Manipur is practically divided between three main communities: Meiteis, Nagas and Kuki-Zos.
Published – 13 March 2026 18:42 IST
