Imphal: Twenty-one Naga passengers abducted by suspected armed Kuki volunteers near Mongkot Chephu on the Ukhrul–Imphal route were released and handed over to police on Thursday, officials reported.
While the civilians were freed, their vehicles and mobile phones remain in captivity following tensions and cross-allegations of violence between community groups, prompting calls for peace.
The passengers, including five women, were held captive after the two vehicles they were travelling in were forcibly stopped and taken to Mongkot Chephu, a Kuki village in Ukhrul district.
In a development promoting peaceful co-existence, the detained individuals were handed over to the Superintendent of Police of Ukhrul district on Thursday morning, officials confirmed. However, the two vehicles and 21 mobile phones they were travelling with are yet to be returned, according to reports.
The development followed an appeal by Manipur Chief Minister Yumnam Khemchand Singh for the safe and immediate release of civilians held captive along the Ukhrul–Imphal road in the area under Litan Police Station.
The Chief Minister further warned that stringent action would be taken against anyone responsible for unlawful acts and urged all parties to shun violence.
The Shangai Village Authority, representing the Kuki community, in a separate statement said the Naga civilians were detained after armed Naga volunteers allegedly opened fire on cultivators in the fields, injuring a Kuki man and leaving two others missing at Thowai Kuki village in the same district.
Meanwhile, the Tangkhul Naga Long (TNL), a prominent Naga organisation, has written to the Chief Minister seeking immediate intervention for their safe release.
In its letter, it warned: “Failure to address such incidents decisively will only deepen the prevailing insecurity and undermine public confidence in the ability of the Government to maintain law and order.”