Naga group seeks return of man’s severed head after fresh violence in Manipur, issues 48-hour ultimatum

Smoke and flames billow after armed miscreants allegedly set fire to houses in Litan Sareikhong village in Manipur’s Ukhrul district. File | Photo credit: PTI

A Naga civil society organization has issued a 48-hour ultimatum to return the severed head of a man allegedly killed by armed groups in Manipur’s Kangpokpi district.

The headless body of 52-year-old Ajinbou R., allegedly killed in a suspected militant attack on Makui Ashang village in Kangpokpi district on Saturday (10 October 2026), was brought to the Jawaharlal Nehru Institute of Medical Sciences in Imphal for post-mortem on Sunday (10 October 2026) night.

A video purportedly showing Ajinbou’s head among heavily armed militants in camouflage went viral on Saturday (October 10, 2026).

In a statement on Sunday (October 11, 2026), the Joint Tribes Council Manipur said: “The head of Ajinbou R. remains missing. An autopsy will not be conducted until his head is returned to his family members for a dignified burial. We will not allow the state machinery to mutilate the remains any further while his head is treated as a trophy by the militants.”

State and central governments are directly responsible for the renewed violence, he said, “This heinous crime is an affront to humanity.” The council issued a “non-negotiable 48-hour ultimatum” to find and return the severed head, failing which it warned of taking the “strictest measures” to ensure justice.

A fresh wave of violence hit Manipur last week, with at least nine people killed in separate shootings in Kamjong, Ukhrul and Kangpokpi districts on Friday (October 9, 2026) and Saturday (October 10, 2026).

The killings began after a 22-year-old mother of five was shot dead by unknown assailants in the Kuki-dominated village of Chassad in the Naga-majority Kamjong district on Friday night (October 9, 2026). Her killing triggered a gunfight between Kuki and Naga armed groups that continued till Saturday (October 10, 2026) morning.

Chief Minister Y. Khemchand Singh condemned the killing and asked the relevant authorities to take immediate and “effective steps to control the situation, restore peace and order and ensure the safety and security of all citizens”.

Since February this year, more than 50 people have been killed and dozens of houses set on fire in violence between the Kuki and Naga tribes.

The state had earlier witnessed ethnic violence between the Meiteis of the Imphal Valley and the adjoining Kukis in the hills, in which over 300 people were killed, while 49 remained missing and thousands were rendered homeless.

Published – 12 Oct 2026 11:46 IST