Twenty-eight of the 38 people belonging to the Kuki and Naga communities, who were held hostage by armed groups in Manipur's Kangpokpi and Senapati districts, were released, police said on Friday.

These people were taken to unknown areas after suspected militants shot dead three church leaders and injured four others in Kangpokpi on Wednesday, while a civilian was gunned down and his wife was wounded in Noney district.

"Twelve Naga women from Konsakhul village, who were held captive by armed militants, were released at Makhan village," a senior officer said.

Four men and ten women of the Kuki community, who were held in captivity in Senapati district, were handed over to security forces late Thursday night, he said.

The officer also said, "Two Salesian brothers of Don Bosco, including one from Nagaland, were also released by armed groups at separate locations."

Manipur home minister Govindas Konthoujam had on Thursday said the government was actively holding discussions with civil society groups and political leaders to secure the release of these people.

Since April 7, Manipur has witnessed 15 killings, including that of two children in Bishnupur. The killings continue even as Ukhrul, a Naga-dominated district, has seen a fresh conflict emerge between Tangkhul Nagas and Kukis.

More than 260 people have been killed in ethnic violence that erupted between the Meitei and Kuki-Zo communities in 2023, and is now gradually spreading to include tensions between the Nagas and Kuki-Zo groups.

Two security officials said that one of the factions of the Zeliangrong United Front (ZUF), a Naga insurgent group, is a major suspect in the attack on the church leaders but all other angles are being probed. In a statement, the group has denied any involvement in the attack.

Yesterday during the day, life was paralysed across Kangpokpi, Churachandpur and Chandel districts as shutdowns called by both Kuki-Zo and Naga organisations brought the hill areas to a standstill.

The protests followed the killing of three church leaders in Kangpokpi and a Chiru Naga civilian in Noney.

Markets remained deserted, public transport stayed off the roads, and schools reported thin attendance.

In Kangpokpi, the Kuki Inpi Manipur enforced a 48-hour bandh beginning Thursday midnight against the killing of three Thadou church leaders near Kotlen village.

Protesters blocked the vital Imphal-Dimapur route, disrupting the movement of goods and passenger vehicles.

In Churachandpur, roads were empty and businesses shuttered. In Chandel, the Chandel Naga People’s Organisation enforced a separate bandh following the killing of Wilson Thanga.

Manipur Pradesh Congress Committee (MPCC) president and former CM Okram Ibobi Singh alleged that repeated violent incidents point to a complete collapse of law and order in the state, citing the ambush near Kotlen–Kotzim villages in Kangpokpi, where three were church leaders killed and four sustained injuries, and another attack in Noney that left one dead and two wounded.

“These incidents show the failure of both the state and central govts to control the situation,” Ibobi said, accusing the Centre of remaining silent while civilians face insecurity. He questioned why central forces are deployed mainly for election duties while violence continues unchecked.