By NE NOW NEWS

Imphal: Four of the six bodies recovered on June 10 and believed to be those of missing Liangmai Naga men have been identified by family members at the Jawaharlal Nehru Institute of Medical Sciences (JNIMS) mortuary, while the identities of the remaining two are yet to be confirmed.

Authorities said DNA testing may be required if the remaining bodies cannot be identified visually.

Speaking to reporters outside the mortuary on Thursday, a family member said the identification process took several hours and that only four bodies could be conclusively identified.

He alleged that one of the victims was found with his hands tied behind his back, while the bodies were in a severely mutilated condition.

“The bodies were butchered and beheaded. We could not identify them through facial features as the remains were badly mutilated,” he said.

The family member appealed to the Manipur government and the Centre to ensure justice for the victims. He also claimed that authorities had not informed the families of the exact location where the bodies were recovered and alleged that one severed head remained untraced.

According to him, post-mortem examinations have not yet been conducted as the identification process is still underway.

Konsakhul chairman D. Adam Liangmai condemned the killings and said some of the victims had to be identified through clothing and personal belongings because of the condition of the remains.

He noted that while 14 Kuki hostages abducted during the same sequence of events were released safely, the six Naga men were killed. He demanded strict action against those responsible.

Meanwhile, Manipur Home Minister K. Govindas visited the JNIMS mortuary and assured action against the perpetrators.

Calling the incident a “heinous crime against humanity”, Govindas said those responsible for the abduction and killings would be arrested soon.

Inspector General of Manipur Police Ningshen Worngam said the identification process was difficult as the bodies had been recovered separately and were in an advanced state of decomposition.

He said the case has been handed over to the National Investigation Agency (NIA), while Manipur Police will provide all necessary assistance to the investigation.

The six mutilated and dismembered bodies were recovered on June 10 during a search operation involving around 450 personnel from multiple security agencies. The remains are believed to be those of six Liangmai Naga men who were abducted on May 13.