The Manipur government has handed over the investigation into the abduction and killing of two Kuki youths to the National Investigation Agency (NIA), Chief Minister Yumnam Khemchand Singh said after meeting the victims’ families.
The two men, Tinginlun Chongloi, 21, and Paoginlal Hangshing, 20, were residents of Taphou Kuki village in Kangpokpi district. They went missing in late October, and their bodies were recovered days later in neighbouring Senapati district during a joint search operation by security forces.
Families promised justice, but warned it may take time
Singh visited the bereaved families and told them the case had been transferred to the central agency. He assured them that everyone involved in the killings would be arrested, while cautioning that the process might take some time.
To explain the likely timeline, the Chief Minister pointed to an earlier case in Bishnupur district, in which the NIA took about four months to gather evidence and apprehend those responsible. The mortal remains of the two youths are kept at the Regional Institute of Medical Sciences mortuary in Imphal.
Over 30 suspects identified, police say
Police say investigators have identified more than 30 suspects linked to a string of serious crimes, including the abduction and killing of the two youths, attacks on security forces and the targeting of women, children and religious leaders. The NIA is expected to take over the case papers from the state police and begin its own inquiry, though officials have not said when that will happen.
The Taphou Kuki Village Authority had publicly demanded an NIA investigation, alleging that the killings formed part of a pattern of targeted attacks against the village. The transfer is expected to intensify efforts to identify and prosecute those responsible.
Fresh gunfight near the same village
Tension flared again near Taphou Kuki village along the Kangpokpi-Senapati border, where a Kuki woman was shot dead and a man wounded in an exchange of fire between suspected rival militant groups. A Kuki organisation alleged that two Naga armed groups were responsible for the killing, a claim that has not been independently verified.
The killings come amid continuing unrest in the state, where five people were killed in two separate incidents of fresh ethnic violence. The Kuki-Zo Council has held direct talks with the Chief Minister on de-escalation and justice, while security pressures in Manipur show how fragile peace remains in the region.
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