NIA arrests two in Manipur over killing of six Naga civilians

A joint team led by the National Investigation Agency (NIA) on Friday arrested two people from Manipur's Kangpokpi district for their alleged role in the killing of six Naga civilians, marking the first major breakthrough in one of the state's most sensitive ethnic violence cases.

The operation was carried out by a joint team of the NIA, Manipur Police and the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) following specific intelligence inputs, police said.

The team raided Leilon Vaiphei village in the early hours of Friday and apprehended two suspects — identified as Ayingbi, a woman, and Pradip — from the Kuki-Zo village. Both are accused of involvement in the killing of six Naga civilians on May 13 in the same village, police said.

The bodies of the six victims were recovered from the outskirts of Leilon Vaiphei on June 10, sparking widespread outrage and protests by both Naga and Meitei organisations, which demanded the immediate arrest of those responsible.

The killings also prompted Naga groups to blockade all routes leading to Kangpokpi district, resulting in severe shortages of essential commodities and soaring prices in the Kuki-Zo-majority district.

The incident briefly appeared to open an avenue for reconciliation when Kuki Zo Council (KZC) chairman Henlienthang Thanglet publicly apologised for the killings, describing them as a "grave mistake".

"I admit the Kuki-Zo people made a grave mistake in killing the six Naga civilians. It was done out of emotion. I strongly condemn it. I am very sorry and apologise on behalf of my people," Thanglet had told a press conference, while calling for an impartial investigation into all incidents linked to Manipur's ongoing ethnic conflict.

However, the KZC swiftly issued a clarification the following day, saying portions of the chairman's remarks had been misconstrued as an admission of responsibility by the Kuki-Zo community.

The organisation maintained that Thanglet's apology was offered solely as an expression of "humanity, compassion and moral responsibility" and "was not intended to assign collective guilt".

The clarification came amid strong objections from an influential Naga students' organisation, which criticised the KZC chief's remarks over what it described as the killing of six Naga hostages.

Friday's arrests come against the backdrop of continuing ethnic tensions in Manipur, where sporadic violence between the Meitei and Kuki-Zo communities has persisted since May 2023, with Naga organisations also becoming increasingly vocal over incidents affecting their community.

With PTI inputs