Imphal, May 23 (IANS) Manipur Chief Minister Yumnam Khemchand Singh on Saturday announced that the case relating to the abduction of six Naga villagers would be handed over to the National Investigation Agency (NIA).

A senior official of the Chief Minister’s Office (CMO) said that a six-member delegation of the United Naga Council (UNC) met the Chief Minister and his cabinet colleagues at the CM’s Secretariat to discuss the prevailing law and order situation in the state.

During the meeting, the Chief Minister informed the UNC delegation that the case involving six abducted Nagas would be investigated by the NIA.

He also stated that the killing of three church leaders in Kangpokpi district on May 13 had already been handed over to the central agency for investigation.

Singh said that search and rescue operations have been underway since May 14 to trace the whereabouts of the six Naga villagers who were abducted from Konsakhul village in Kangpokpi district.

The Chief Minister further appealed to the UNC to assist in securing the release of 14 Kuki civilians who have reportedly remained in captivity since the beginning of the recent incidents.

He also appealed to members of the Kuki community to cooperate in tracing the missing Naga villagers and help restore normalcy in the affected areas.

Emphasising the need for peace and communal harmony, Singh urged all communities in the state to extend support to the government’s efforts to normalise the situation and restore peace in Manipur.

The UNC delegation was led by President N.G. Lorho. The state government side included the Chief Minister, Deputy Chief Minister Losii Dikho, Home Minister Konthoujam Govindas Singh, along with several Naga MLAs.

During the meeting, the UNC delegation strongly urged the government to intensify efforts to trace and rescue the six abducted Naga villagers.

A police official said that at least 50 people belonging to the Kuki and Naga communities had been held hostage by different groups in the Kuki-Zo-inhabited Kangpokpi district and the Naga-dominated Senapati district following the incidents that took place on May 13.

According to the official, around 30 people from both communities were released on May 14 and 15 following sustained efforts by the authorities, community leaders, and various civil society organisations (CSOs).

Tension continues to prevail in the hill districts as both the Nagas and Kuki-Zo communities have been separately agitating over the recent violence, particularly after the brutal killing of three Kuki-Zo church leaders and injuries to four others in Kangpokpi district on May 13.

Normal life continued to remain severely affected across Kuki-Zo inhabited areas, particularly in Kangpokpi district, after Kuki Inpi Manipur (KIM) enforced a total shutdown from midnight of May 13 following the killing of three Baptist Church leaders and injuries to four others in the hill district.

The KIM is one of the apex bodies of the Kuki tribal community,

–IANS

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