Imphal: Eighteen innocent Naga civilians — men, women, and a minor child — were abducted in broad daylight in Manipur on May 13. Twelve were released the following day. Six have not come back. And nobody, it appears, is being held accountable. That is the charge the United Naga Council (UNC) has placed on record — bluntly, with names, vehicle numbers, and eyewitness accounts that leave little room for denial.
What happened at Leilon Vaiphei?
The incident took place between 10:30 am and 10:50 am on May 13, on the road between Konsakhul village and the Leimakhong area. Five separate vehicles carrying Naga civilians were intercepted and stopped at Leilon Vaiphei — a Kuki village. The UNC has named the village chief, Lalboi, as complicit in the abduction alongside Kuki militants.
The victims were travelling in ordinary vehicles going about their daily lives. They were not combatants. They were not political figures.
The first vehicle was a Verna car carrying Rev. Manu Thiumai, Pastor of Leimakhong Baptist Church, along with his wife Kachiaklungliu Thiumai, his elder sister Chonmila, and family friends Leishiwon Lama and Rosy Lama.
The second was an auto-rickshaw carrying Phenrilung Chawang, his wife Wibonliu, and five relatives — Chalunkingliu Chawang, Pawangbonliu Thiumai, Lungrailiu Bariam, Widimliu Thiumai and Dingamliu Abonmai.
The third vehicle was a Pulsar motorcycle carrying Pastor Kenpibou of Juna West and Phenroungwi Thiumai.
The fourth was a Scooty carrying Dilip Thiumai, his wife Winiliu, and their minor daughter Sarah.
The fifth was an auto-rickshaw carrying Kaliwangbou Abonmai, travelling alone.
All five vehicles. All intercepted. All passengers taken.
The last phone call received from Rev. Dr Manu Thiumai was at approximately 10:50 am that morning. After that, his phone went silent. It has been switched off ever since.
“The Kuki women blocked the road and helped Kuki Militants to kidnap the 6 Naga men. They were kidnapped along with their wives, so he questioned how Kuki Inpi Manipur could claim they didn’t abduct or know the whereabouts”, one of the eyewitnesses said.
6 hostages still missing
On May 14, twelve of the eighteen hostages — all women, including an infant — were released. The six men were not.
Rev. Manu Thiumai, Pastor Kenpibou, Phenrilung Chawang, Dilip Thiumai, Phenroungwi Thiumai and Kaliwangbou Abonmai remain missing. As of the date of this report, their whereabouts are unknown. Their condition is unknown. Whether they are alive is unknown.
Their wives were released. Their children were released. The men were dragged out of their vehicles — in front of their families, in front of fellow passengers, in broad daylight — and taken away.
What has sharpened the UNC’s anger beyond the abduction itself is the response of Kuki Inpi Manipur — or rather, the absence of one.
KIM has claimed it has no knowledge of the six unreleased male hostages and that they are not in Kuki custody.
The UNC has called this claim an outright lie.
“The entire incident was witnessed by surviving victims and co-passengers who saw the six male hostages being violently dragged out of vehicles in front of their wives, children and fellow civilians,” the UNC stated. There are living witnesses. There are vehicle registration numbers on record. There is a timeline. There is the switched-off phone of a Baptist pastor.
Against all of this, KIM says it knows nothing.
The UNC’s assessment is unsparing: KIM’s denial is not merely suspicious — it is, in their words, “a deliberate attempt to shield the perpetrators and cover up the truth.” The organisation has accused KIM of moral bankruptcy and of choosing propaganda over humanity.
