Kuki militants in Manipur have demanded the government release a man from their community arrested on charges of separatism, in exchange for the release of two Methi youths they are currently holding hostage. Establishment and state government officials said on Sunday that the threat would be renewed. A crisis for a region mired in ethnic strife.

A senior officer of the multi-agency security establishment deployed in the state told HT that the militants have made several demands, two of which are important. “The demands include the release of Mark T Hokep, who is currently in NIA custody, and the transfer of 15 Kuki prisoners from Imphal’s Sajiva Jail to Chorachandpur Jail,” the officer, who requested anonymity, said. Said on condition.

Chief Minister Bairan Singh held meetings with officials and political parties as pressure mounted to resolve the hostage crisis. A video released on social media on Sunday shows the two captives urging the Chief Minister to accept the demands. The Chief Minister’s office did not confirm the nature of the specific demands.

According to the official, negotiations between the Brin Singh administration and the Kuki groups are being conducted by the central security forces – the Assam Rifles and the Central Reserve Police Force – and Kuki civil society organizations, which are in touch with the militants.

“It is not clear where the two dead men are being held. The CSOs deny knowledge of the location but say they can send human couriers and where the militants are making their demands,” the official said.

Lelina, a member of a civil society group in contact with the security forces, disputed the description of the Metis as militants and described them as village volunteers. “We are just negotiating with the security forces to meet the demands of our village defense volunteers and release the two men. On Friday, when the incident took place, the volunteers released a man from Methi. did, but kept the rest to himself.

The abduction of the two men is the latest in a series of incidents that threaten to push Manipur into ethnic violence. The Kuki-Zo tribes, who dominate the hills, and the Meiteis, who are the majority in the valley, divide the state into two demographic zones, with village defense volunteers acting as a frontline on either side, known as the buffer zone. has been separated from

After weeks of deadly clashes after May 3, 2023, when ethnic tensions erupted, communities remain mostly in their strongholds. As of Friday, more than 230 people have been killed and tens of thousands displaced.

Late on Saturday, a video surfaced on social media showing the two missing persons. “As Metis, if the ‘pabong’ (addressing the chief minister as ‘father’ in Manipuri) brains consider us as their sons, please spare our lives and fulfill the demands of our brothers,” he appealed. . We beseech you as true Métis.”

CM Singh posted on X: “We condemn such heinous acts, and our government is working for the safe release of the victims.”

According to people familiar with the matter, the meeting called by Baran Singh discussed the demands made by the Kuki militants, including the exchange of hawks for the two captives.

Howcap was arrested by the Manipur Police on 22 May 2022 in New Delhi. He was booked under several sections of the IPC and UAPA for conspiracy to secede from India and attempting to wage war against the central government through an organization called the Govt. People’s Democratic Republic of Kokeland.

Another officer familiar with the matter provided more details about the incident. Three young men from a remote village in Thoubal district of Manipur were going on a motorcycle on Friday morning. One of them, Nangumbam Johnson Singh, was about to take the SSCGD recruitment exam at the 9 Assam Rifles camp in New Kettlemanbi.

“He asked his two friends, Oinam Thoithoi and Thokchom Thoithoiba, to accompany him,” the officer said. “They set off on a motorbike but mistakenly set their destination as Kethelminbey instead of New Kethelmenby. Kethelmenby is in Kong Pokpi, a Kuki-majority area. The three were unaware of this.”

Surprisingly, they were not stopped while crossing Kanglatombi, a buffer zone in Kangpokpi district. About 2 km from Kanglatumbi, they were stopped by Kuki citizens.

At the entrances to hilly districts like Kang Pokpi and Chorachandpur, citizens – mostly women – stop all incoming vehicles to check people’s identities.

“The three men should have been detained and sent back to Meiti areas on Friday, but no one intervened,” said a third official.

As of Sunday night, the security forces were yet to carry out any rescue operation for the two men. Senior officers of CRPF and Assam Rifles are in touch with the Chief Minister’s office.