Reports of captives being held by both Kuki and Naga groups have deepened fears of widening ethnic unrest across Manipur’s hill districts.
BY PC Bureau
May 13, 2026: A tense hostage standoff involving both Kuki-Zo and Naga captives continued across parts of Manipur on Tuesday, with authorities and community leaders making desperate efforts to defuse the situation and secure the safe release of those detained amid escalating ethnic tensions.’
According to an urgent FIR request submitted to Senapati Police Station, 23 Kuki civilians from Taphou Kuki Village, along with eight vehicles, were allegedly detained in Senapati district hours after the pastors’ killings.
In a letter dated May 13, Taphou Kuki Village Chairman Lenkhomang Chongloi stated that around 1:30 p.m., seven trucks and one Alto car carrying villagers returning from work were stopped and detained near Senapati Petrol Pump at Rikhumai Taphou and near the gate of Mt. Everest College at Phyamai Taphou.
The letter alleged that the occupants’ mobile phones were snatched and that the detainees were “reportedly taken towards Karong.” It further claimed that the vehicles had been travelling under State Police escort but were allegedly “snatched away by volunteers of the Senapati District Students Association (SDSA) and the local populace” despite the presence of Central and State security forces.
Among the 23 detainees were reportedly six women and three minors aged between 16 and 18 years. The oldest detainee was identified as 68 years old.
The eight detained vehicles were listed as:
- Tata – MN 03 0641
- Shaktiman – MN 01 4972
- Shaktiman – MN 03 0633
- Shaktiman – AS 04 G 0013
- Shaktiman – NL 01 3618
- Shaktiman – MN 07 C 3110
- Shaktiman – MN 01 1148
- Maruti Alto LXi – MZ 01 S 2152
The village chairman urged police authorities to immediately register an FIR, ensure the safe release of the detained daily-wage labourers, and recover the vehicles, warning that the lives of the detainees could be at risk.
The detentions were reported on the same day three Thadou Baptist Association pastors were killed in an ambush in Kangpokpi district, an incident that triggered widespread outrage among Kuki-Zo organisations and Christian bodies across the Northeast.
READ: Manipur: Kuki-Naga Clash Sees Hostage-Taking on Both Sides
Meanwhile, the United Naga Council (UNC) has said that around 20 Nagas from Konsakhul village were allegedly being held hostage by residents of Leilon Vaiphei Kuki village following the ambush incident.
The council stated that it could not comprehend the alleged detention of villagers, especially after Naga organisations had condemned the killings of the pastors “without reservation as fellow Christians.”
23 Kuki Villagers, 8 Vehicles Detained in Senapati After Pastors’ Killing; Names Released
Senapati, 13 May 2026: — Hours after three Thadou Baptist pastors were killed in Manipur, 23 Kuki civilians and 8 vehicles from Taphou Kuki Village were allegedly detained in Senapati… https://t.co/UWFGR2h60o pic.twitter.com/42bHoeyoZa
— 𝐂𝐇𝐈𝐊𝐈𝐌-𝐓𝐄-𝐀𝐖𝐆𝐈𝐍 (@chinkukimizogin) May 13, 2026
Calling the alleged hostage-taking unacceptable, the UNC said targeting innocent civilians violated “all norms of civilized society” and warned that such actions could deepen communal wounds and further escalate tensions between communities.
The council appealed for the immediate and unconditional release of the reported hostages and urged all sides to uphold the right to life and dignity of every individual regardless of community affiliation.
The UNC also called upon civil society organisations, church leaders, and community representatives across communities to collectively oppose violence and work toward restoring peaceful coexistence and communal harmony in the region.
