Imphal: Talks between Manipur Chief Minister Yumnam Khemchand and the United Naga Council (UNC) on Wednesday ended without a breakthrough, with the apex Naga body refusing to withdraw its indefinite economic blockade along National Highway-2 until its key demands are met.
The hour-long meeting, held at the Deputy Commissioner’s Complex in Senapati district, focused on the ongoing blockade and the killing of six Liangmai Naga men whose deaths have triggered widespread protests in Naga-inhabited areas.
During the meeting, state government representatives urged the UNC to call off the blockade to ease the disruption of essential supplies. However, the council declined, reiterating its four-point charter of demands and maintaining that it would not claim the bodies of the six victims, currently kept at the Jawaharlal Nehru Institute of Medical Sciences (JNIMS) mortuary in Imphal, until justice is delivered.
The UNC’s demands include the immediate abrogation of the Suspension of Operations (SoO) agreement with Kuki militant groups, the arrest of all those allegedly involved in the abduction and murder of the six Naga civilians, including the chief of Leilon Vaiphei village, the removal of Deputy Chief Minister Nemcha Kipgen from office, and the declaration of the Kuki National Front–President Group (KNF-P) as a terrorist organisation.
“The talks were fruitful and meaningful, but they remained inconclusive,” UNC president Ng Lorho told reporters after the meeting. He warned that the organisation could intensify its agitation if the government fails to address the issue.
The crisis stems from the abduction of six Liangmai Naga men from Leilon Vaiphei village in Kangpokpi district on May 13. Their bodies were recovered on June 10, triggering protests and an indefinite economic blockade on National Highway-2, a key lifeline connecting Manipur with neighbouring states.
The meeting was attended by several senior political leaders, including Deputy Chief Minister Losii Dikho, Independent MLA J. Kumo Sha, BJP MLA Tongbram Robindro Singh and NPP MLA Sheikh Noorul Hassan, as part of the state government’s efforts to resolve the standoff.