Family members hold photographs of six abducted Naga civilians and stand in the premises of JNIMS mortuary waiting to identify the bodies, in Imphal, Manipur, on June 11, 2026.

| Photo Credit: PTI

The bodies of two Naga pastors — among six Naga villagers who were allegedly abducted and killed by armed Kuki groups in Manipur — have been identified.The United Naga Council (UNC), the apex body of Manipur’s Naga communities, said family members had identified the two bodies at the Jawaharlal Nehru Institute of Medical Sciences (JNIMS) mortuary in Imphal, the State capital.“We came to know that the bodies of the two victims, both pastors, were identified based on their dresses. The other four bodies have not been identified yet, as they are highly mutilated and dismembered,” said A.C. Thotso, the UNC’s working committee secretary.‘End SoO pact’On Friday (June 12, 2026), the UNC sent a memorandum to Union Home Minister Amit Shah, demanding the abrogation of the Centre’s Suspension of Operations agreements signed with 25 Kuki and Zomi extremist groups.The Naga apex body also demanded the immediate arrest and prosecution of the members of the Kuki National Front (President) group, who were allegedly involved in the abduction of 18 Naga civilians at Leilon Vaiphei village in Kangpokpi district last month.The UNC also demanded the arrest and prosecution of Lalboi Vaiphei, the chief of Leilon Vaiphei village, and other villagers for their alleged involvement in the abduction of the 18 Nagas and the “cold-blooded murder” of six of them.Independent, time-bound probeThe Nagas were abducted following the killing of three Thadou church leaders. A section of the Thadous claims it is a distinct community and not a constituent of the Kuki group of tribes.The UNC further accused a serving Manipur policeman of “involvement in the abduction and murder of the Naga civilians”.The Native People’s Committee, Manipur, also condemned the killing of the six Nagas. Demanding accountability, it called for an independent, impartial, and time-bound investigation into their abduction and killing. The term “native” refers to indigenous people, primarily the Meiteis and Nagas in the context of Manipur. Published - June 12, 2026 08:46 pm IST