The probe into the abduction of six Naga men by armed groups will be handed over to the National Investigation Agency, The Hindu quoted Manipur Chief Minister Yumnam Khemchand Singh as saying on Saturday.The announcement was made after a six-member delegation of the United Naga Council met the chief minister in Imphal to discuss the situation in the hill districts, according to India Today.On the other hand, the apex body of the Kuki tribes, Kuki Inpi Manipur, extended its shutdown for another 48 hours for “safeguarding the rights dignity and future” of the community.The Kuki groups allege that 14 of the community members, including three minor students, were being held captive by Nagas, reported The Hindu.On May 13, more than 38 persons from the Kuki and Naga communities had been taken hostage by armed groups in the state’s Kangpokpi and Senapati districts, said Manipur Home Minister Govindas Konthoujam.The abductions had taken place after three church leaders were killed and five others injured when the vehicles they were travelling in were ambushed while they were returning from a meeting in Churachandpur to Kangpokpi. Another civilian was also killed and his wife wounded in Noney district.On May 15, the Manipur Police said that 28 of the persons who had been abducted were released. However, an unidentified police officer told The Indian Express that the total number of persons being held hostage was uncertain.The chief minister told the United Naga Council on Friday that the probe into the killing of church leaders was also handed over to the NIA, according to The Hindu.After the attack on May 13, the apex body of the Kuki tribes, Kuki Inpi Manipur, alleged that the armed Naga group Zeliangrong United Front-Kamson faction was behind the actions. However, the authorities said that the involvement of militant outfits was being investigated.The developments come amid tensions between Kukis and Nagas in Ukhrul that had erupted on February 7 after an alleged assault involving members of the Tangkhul Naga and the Kuki-Zo communities escalated into clashes.The fresh violence came against the backdrop of the ethnic clashes that broke out between the Meitei and Kuki-Zo-Hmar communities in the state in May 2023, leaving at least 260 persons dead and more than 59,000 persons displaced. There were periodic upticks in violence in 2024 and 2025.Edited by Sneha.