Manipur security forces recover bodies of two abducted Kuki men after five days

Police said search operations will continue to find those responsible. Their disappearance had prompted a district-wide shutdown by a Kuki-Zo group.

A joint team of security forces on Sunday recovered the bodies of two Kuki men who were abducted five days ago in Manipur’s Kangpokpi district, officials aware of the matter said.

The deceased, Paoginlal Hangshing, 20, and Tinginlun Chongloi, 21, were missing since October 28. Officials said they were likely abducted while travelling between Hengbung and Taphou villages.

Joint teams of Manipur Police, the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) and Assam Rifles had undertaken multiple operations to trace them. “In continuation of these operations, an extensive joint search operation was conducted [on Sunday] by joint teams comprising Manipur Police, CoBRA, CRPF, Assam Rifles and RAF in the general area east of NH-2, along the SP Road,” police said, adding that the bodies were recovered during the search. SP Road is a hilly stretch connecting Senapati and Kangpokpi districts.

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The Committee on Tribal Unity (CoTU), a prominent Kuki-Zo outfit, had imposed a total shutdown across the district from October 29, a day after the two men went missing, demanding their unconditional release. Police said combing operations will continue in the area to apprehend those behind the killings.

The bodies were recovered a day after three Kuki men were killed in a gunfight in the violence-hit state’s Noney district.

Manipur has been reeling under violence since May 2023, when ethnic clashes first broke out between the dominant Meitei and tribal Kuki communities. Since then, almost every community has been engulfed by the spiralling violence that has led to a complete breakdown of law and order, the creation of ethnic enclaves, nearly 368 deaths, displacement of 66,000 people, and a virtual bifurcation of the state.