Photo Courtesy: India Today Group
Imphal: Security forces recovered the bodies of six individuals in Manipur on Wednesday following an intensive 24-hour search operation. The recovery efforts involved 450 personnel from the Manipur Police, the Central Reserve Police Force, and the Assam Rifles, supported by forensic teams and sniffer dogs.
These individuals were believed to be among the group taken hostage from Leilon Vaiphei village in the Kangpokpi district after a deadly ambush on May 13. While official identification is pending forensic results, police have launched an investigation to determine the exact circumstances of the deaths.
This discovery follows the release of 14 Kuki detainees who were handed over to the Senapati district administration on Tuesday. That release was facilitated by the United Naga Council, which acted after receiving assurances from Union Home Minister Amit Shah regarding the search for the missing hostages.
Reflecting on the decision to release the Kuki detainees, an executive member of the United Naga Council stated that the move was undertaken on humanitarian grounds and reflected the Naga community's commitment to cultural values, principles of conflict ethics, international humanitarian norms, and the protection of human rights.
The hostage crisis stemmed from retaliatory actions between Naga and Kuki groups after the May 13 incident. Although negotiations led to the release of several people over the past weeks, the six individuals found on Wednesday remained in captivity until their tragic discovery.
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