A senior police officer, who did not wish to be named, said security forces fired tear gas shells after stones were pelted at them. “Around 10 protesters were injured,” the officer said.
The ongoing sit-in protest was organised by local Indigenous groups at Kanglatongbi Bazaar under the banner of the United Naga Council (UNC), demanding justice for the six Liangmai villagers.
At least 50 people from the Kuki and Naga communities were held hostage by different armed groups in Kangpokpi and Senapati districts following the violent incidents on May 13, during which three church leaders were killed and four others injured in Kangpokpi district.
Around 30 individuals from both communities were released on May 14 and 15 following sustained efforts by the authorities, community leaders and several civil society organisations.
On June 10, the remaining 14 Kuki villagers were released and handed over to the police at a police station in Senapati district by the United Naga Council (UNC) and the Naga People’s Organisation (NPO).
The following day, June 11, the bodies of six Naga hostages were recovered from a forested area near Kharam Vaiphei village, a predominantly Kuki-Zo tribal settlement under the Saitu-Gamphazol subdivision of Kangpokpi district.
