Six individuals from the Naga community, missing since a violent intercommunal clash on May 13, are feared dead after six bodies were recovered Wednesday in Manipur's Kangpokpi district. The discovery has deepened the humanitarian crisis gripping the state, where ethnic violence between Naga and Kuki communities has claimed 731 lives over three years.

Hostages Gone for Nearly a Month

The six Naga men were taken hostage during a violent confrontation between Naga and Kuki groups at Leilon Vaiphei village in Kangpokpi district on May 13. Their fate had remained unknown for 27 days before the bodies were found on Wednesday during a major security operation in the area. Formal identification is still pending, and post-mortem examinations are underway at JNIMS Hospital in Kangpokpi. Police have confirmed that legal procedures are being completed and the investigation is ongoing.

As news of the recovery broke, relatives of the missing persons and representatives from several Naga civil organisations gathered at the hospital, with grief and anger running high.

Massive Search Operation Underway

Since the abduction, security forces mounted a significant search operation involving around 450 personnel from the Manipur Police, CRPF, and Assam Rifles, supported by sniffer dogs and forensic experts. The bodies were found in the course of this extended operation.

The scale of the deployment reflects the volatility on the ground — yet for many in the Naga community, it has done little to inspire confidence. Several Naga organisations have publicly accused security forces of bias and demanded an impartial investigation into the ongoing violence.

Violence Refuses to Abate

The recovery came amid fresh incidents across the state. On Monday, Kuki militant groups allegedly opened fire in Pongringlong Rongmei Naga village in Kangpokpi district. Shortly after, the body of a missing Naga Village Guard, Chunjanglung Panmei, was found in a nearby forest with a gunshot wound to the head.

In Senapati district on Wednesday, two trucks were set ablaze by unidentified miscreants. No arrests have been reported in connection with the arson.

On a more positive note, 14 Kuki individuals were handed over to authorities Tuesday with assistance from the United Naga Council — a rare instance of inter-community coordination that officials hope could build some ground-level trust.

Communities Push Back Against Security Forces

Tensions with security agencies have been mounting. On June 7, women in the Shokvao and New Haven areas of Ukhrul district blocked Assam Rifles personnel from advancing, staging protests with torches through the night.

In a more formal assertion of local authority, the Village Authority of Longjang/Thangal village in Noney district issued a notice to the State Police, Assam Rifles, and CRPF, directing that security personnel must inform village authorities before carrying out any search, patrol, raid, or arrest. The notice also called for restrictions on drone operations. The village authority cited its powers under the Manipur Hill Areas Village Authority Act, 1956, which grants it responsibility for local law and order.

Naga groups have further alleged that unidentified armed men opened fire in Ching Mamang village, injuring one person. They have accused the central government of using Kuki groups as part of what they describe as a "shadow war."

Thousands Still Displaced

Meanwhile, thousands of women from 14 civil organisations marched in a five-kilometre rally in Imphal on Monday, demanding implementation of the National Register of Citizens and the identification and deportation of illegal infiltrators.

RTI data paints a grim picture of the displacement crisis. Of 43,676 people still living in relief camps across nine districts, 731 have died over the past three years. Churachandpur recorded the highest toll at 248 deaths, followed by Bishnupur with 151 and Kangpokpi with 128 — the same district now at the centre of Wednesday's grim discovery.

With identifications still pending and grieving families waiting outside the hospital, Kangpokpi remains on edge.