Naga body threatens to boycott Manipur government

The All Naga Students’ Association, Manipur (ANSAM) has threatened to boycott the State government if it fails to secure the release of six Naga hostages and hand them over to their families in four days.

The apex Naga student organisation has also set a similar deadline for the government to find and punish the killers of three Naga civilians and three Thadou church leaders, and abrogate the Suspension of Operations (SoO) agreements with Kuki extremist groups.

A section of Thadous asserts they are a distinct tribe independent of the Kuki tag.

In a statement on Friday (May 29, 2026), the ANSAM accused Kuki extremists operating under the SoO agreement of taking 18 Liangmai Naga hostage after the three church leaders were ambushed and killed on May 13. The organisation said six of these hostages, including two pastors, continue to be in captivity.

The ANSAM said it has asked the Manipur government to trace the abducted Naga civilians and hand them over to their families within four days. “The Nagas shall be compelled to boycott the government collectively and may appeal to all (10) Naga legislators to withdraw their support (to the government),” the association’s president, Th. Angteshang Maring said.

The association also demanded action against the killers of three Naga civilians, two in Ukhrul district and one in Noney district, and the three Thadou church leaders in Kangpokpi district.

It underlined the need to scrap the SoO agreements between the Centre and the Kuki extremist groups, as “it has become a licence to kill and abduct innocent civilians”.

The ANSAM further criticised Manipur Home Minister Govindas Konthoujam for allegedly failing to acknowledge the cross-border “terrorist aggression” on Naga villages by Myanmar-based Kuki armed groups on May 7.