By NE NOW NEWS
Guwahati: Yumnam Khemchand Singh on Saturday announced that the investigation into the abduction of six Naga villagers would be transferred to the National Investigation Agency.
According to a senior official from the Chief Minister’s Office, a six-member delegation of the United Naga Council met the Chief Minister and members of his cabinet at the CM Secretariat to discuss the prevailing security situation in the state.
During the meeting, the Chief Minister informed the delegation that the central agency would probe the case concerning the six Naga villagers allegedly abducted from Konsakhul village in Kangpokpi district.
He also noted that the investigation into the killing of three church leaders in Kangpokpi on May 13 had already been entrusted to the NIA.
Singh said search and rescue operations have been continuing since May 14 to locate the missing villagers.
The Chief Minister further appealed to the UNC leadership to help facilitate the safe release of 14 Kuki civilians who are reportedly still being held captive since the recent violence began. He also urged members of the Kuki community to cooperate with authorities in tracing the missing Naga villagers and restoring peace in the affected regions.
Calling for unity and communal harmony, Singh appealed to all communities to support the government’s efforts aimed at bringing back normalcy and ensuring lasting peace in Manipur.
The UNC delegation was led by its president, N.G. Lorho. Those present from the government side included Deputy Chief Minister Losii Dikho, Home Minister Konthoujam Govindas Singh, and several Naga MLAs.
During the discussions, the UNC delegation strongly urged the government to intensify efforts to rescue the abducted villagers at the earliest.
Meanwhile, a police official stated that following the incidents of May 13, nearly 50 individuals from the Kuki and Naga communities were allegedly held captive by different groups in the Kuki-Zo dominated Kangpokpi district and the Naga-majority Senapati district.
The official added that around 30 people from both communities were released on May 14 and 15 through coordinated efforts involving security agencies, community leaders, and various civil society organisations.
Tension continues to persist across the hill districts, with both Naga and Kuki-Zo groups staging separate protests over the recent violence, especially after three Kuki-Zo church leaders were killed and four others injured in Kangpokpi district on May 13.
Normal life has also remained disrupted in Kuki-Zo inhabited areas, particularly in Kangpokpi district, following the indefinite shutdown imposed by Kuki Inpi Manipur from midnight of May 13 in protest against the killing of the three Baptist Church leaders and injuries to four others.