Fresh tension gripped Manipur’s Ukhrul district after an alleged Kuki group held 18 Nagas, including women and children, captive on Wednesday (March 11, 2026).
The people reportedly held hostage were travelling in three vehicles — two private cars and a commercial carrier — on National Highway 202, also called the Ukhrul-Imphal Road. Their vehicles were stopped at Thawai Kuki village in the Shangkai area.
Editorial | Safety first: On Manipur and a healing touch
The village is within the jurisdiction of the Litan police station. The Litan area witnessed violence and arson in February after a group of Kuki men assaulted a Naga man in an alleged drunken brawl.
The incident followed an anti-poppy cultivation drive carried out by some Naga men earlier in the day. They reportedly took custody of a Kuki poppy cultivator, triggering the reaction.
