KOHIMA: A day after mortal remains of the six Naga hostages were found in Kangpokpi district of Manipur, the Global Naga Forum (GNF) demanded a time bound independent inquiry into why a state apparatus that found the bodies in 24 hours (after the 14 Kukis were released) could not find the six men in 28 days. The GNF then fervently appealed to the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) to take suo motu cognizance of this “heinous crime and to initiate appropriate proceedings without delay to ensure accountability, justice for the victims and their families, and the protection of fundamental human rights”.
The six Nagas were abducted on May 13 from Leilon Vaiphei village area under Kangpokpi district. Naga organisations accused the Kuki militants for the abduction.
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The GNF then condemned in the strongest and most unequivocal terms, the “brutal massacre of six Naga brothers, Pastor Kenpibou, Rev. Manu Thiumai, Phenrongwi Thiumai, Dilip Thiumai, Kaliwangbou Abonmai, and Ch. Phenrilung, abducted by Kuki armed groups (KNF-P) at Leilon Vaiphei, Kangpokpi district, on May 13, 2026, and returned to their families as mutilated remains on June 10, 2026”.
These were unarmed civilians returning from a wedding, said the GNF. Two were ministers of the Gospel. They were abducted on May 13, 2026 and apparently they have been mercilessly massacred the same day while in captivity, the GNF also said. Their bodies were recovered twenty eight days later in a condition that demands a full and truthful post mortem record, it further said. The Naga people will not permit the brutality inflicted upon them to be concealed, downplayed, or obscured by vague language, it stated. The truth of what was done to these six men must be placed on record in its entirety, the GNF added.
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The Naga body then said this was not combat. “It was the butchery of the defenseless. Hostage taking is barbarism. The killing of captives is barbarism. The mutilation of the dead is barbarism. The Forum names these acts for what they are and names their authors: the armed groups that took these men, held them, killed them, and concealed them, and every commander, camp, and sponsor behind them, including those sheltered under Suspension of Operations (SoO) arrangements with the Government of India”, the GNF, adding, “These are war crimes under Common Article 3 of the Geneva Conventions and Article 8(2)(c) of the Rome Statute, and they will be pursued as such”.
One day before the bodies were found, the Naga side released fourteen Kuki detainees alive, unharmed, and unconditionally, the GNF mentioned, adding, “That is the difference between the two sides of this conflict. Let the world mark it”.
The GNF then demanded the immediate arrest and prosecution of the perpetrators; the full public disclosure of the post mortem findings to the families and their independent experts; and a time bound independent inquiry into why a state apparatus that found the bodies in 24 hours could not find the men in 28 days.
