Imphal, May 16 (IANS) Hectic discussions are underway among various Civil Society Organisations (CSOs), Manipur government officials and security forces to ensure the safe release of those who are still being held hostage by groups belonging to different communities, officials said on Saturday.

A police official said that 30 out of over 38 people belonging to the Kuki and Naga communities, who had been held hostage by various groups in Kangpokpi and Senapati districts, were released on Thursday and Friday following sustained efforts by the authorities and community leaders.

The hostages, including women, were reportedly taken to undisclosed locations after suspected militants shot dead three Baptist Church leaders and injured four others in Kangpokpi district on the morning of May 13.

On the same evening, a civilian was gunned down, and his wife was injured in Manipur’s Noney district, further escalating tensions in the region.

The police official said that all-out efforts are continuing to ensure the “safe release of the remaining persons” who are still in captivity. Meanwhile, various tribal organisations, including the Kuki Inpi Manipur (KIM), on Saturday organised demonstrations across Kuki-Zo inhabited areas in the hill districts of Manipur to protest against the alleged illegal detention and hostage-taking of innocent Kuki civilians.

As directed by the KIM, a sit-in protest was organised in Kangpokpi district under the aegis of the Committee on Tribal Unity (CoTU), while a similar “Mass Rally” was simultaneously held in Churachandpur district in solidarity with the affected families and in protest against the continued hostage situation.

KIM Information and Publicity Secretary Janghaolun Haokip said that the principal demands of Saturday’s agitation included the immediate, safe and unconditional release of all remaining hostages, along with urgent implementation of the charter of demands already submitted by the organisation to the government.

The demands pertain to the continued persecution, targeted violence and insecurity allegedly faced by the Kuki-Zo people, besides seeking justice over the killing of the three Kuki-Zo Church leaders.

In a statement, Haokip said: “The suffering inflicted upon the families of the detainees is immense and unbearable. Parents, spouses, children and relatives of those held hostage continue to live in fear, uncertainty and severe emotional distress, without any assurance regarding the safety and well-being of their loved ones.”

The statement further said that any failure on the part of the authorities to decisively intervene and secure the release of the detainees risks emboldening lawlessness and further destabilising the already fragile situation in the region.

Haokip also announced that, in view of the continuing hostage situation and the grave threat posed to the safety and lives of the remaining detainees, the 48-hour total shutdown called by the Kuki Inpi Manipur has been extended for an additional 48 hours with effect from midnight of May 15.

–IANS

sc/dan