Manipur violence: Naga council gives centre, state 48 hours to recover slain guard’s missing head
This digitally enhanced photo posted X shows shows smoke billowing out of houses burned downhill in the ongoing ethnic violence in Manipur.
New Delhi: The Joint Tribes Council-Manipur (JTC) has issued a 48-hour ultimatum to the Centre and the Manipur government to recover and return the missing head of 52-year-old Naga village guard Ajinbou R, allegedly killed in an attack in Kangpokpi district. The demand comes amid fresh violence across Manipur’s hill districts that left at least nine people dead in separate incidents.
In a statement issued on Sunday, the council demanded that Ajinbou’s remains be returned to his family for a dignified burial. It also said post-mortem examinations of the victims should remain suspended until his missing head was recovered, warning that it would take stringent measures if its demands were not met within the deadline, according to PTI.
Ajinbou’s headless body was brought to the Jawaharlal Nehru Institute of Medical Sciences in Imphal on Sunday night. A video purportedly showing his severed head among armed men in camouflage circulated on social media, but its authenticity and the identities of those shown have not been independently established.
Separate attacks leave nine dead
The latest violence unfolded across Kamjong, Ukhrul and Kangpokpi districts on October 9 and 10. Reports citing officials and local sources attributed the fatalities to separate shootings, attacks on villages and an ambush.
The latest clashes add to months of Naga-Kuki tensions across Manipur’s hill districts. An earlier RNA Media report on nine deaths as Naga-Kuki clashes spread across the hill districts documented the separate attacks, arson and disruptions to highway movement.
The unrest began after a 22-year-old Kuki woman, a mother of five, was shot dead in Chassad village in Kamjong district on Friday night. Her killing was followed by exchanges of fire between armed groups. Subsequent attacks in Ningchou village and Kangpokpi district killed Naga residents and village guards, while a separate shooting in Ukhrul district claimed the life of Sandeep Rai, a farmer of Nepali origin.
At least 14 houses belonging to Naga and Kuki residents were initially reported burnt. The circumstances of the individual attacks and responsibility for them remain subject to investigation.
Security response and rising tensions
The chief minister of Manipur, Yumnam Khemchand Singh, condemned the civilian killings and directed officials to take immediate steps to restore peace, maintain order and protect residents. Additional security personnel were deployed in affected areas, while prohibitory restrictions were imposed around Chassad police station.
The JTC has also alleged that armed groups are operating with impunity under the Suspension of Operations agreement. This remains the council’s allegation and has not been established as an official finding.
The immediate focus remains the recovery of Ajinbou’s missing remains, investigations into the killings and the authorities’ response before the council’s 48-hour deadline expires.
