On the night of May 13, three Naga church leaders vanished in a sudden ambush while returning from a meeting in Kangpokpi district. “We’re still waiting for answers,” a family member whispered, the echo of gunfire still fresh in the village’s collective memory. The tragedy sparked a flurry of political moves ahead of a meeting at the state secretariat.
Deputy state chief, Yumnam Khemchand Singh, received a six‑member delegation from the United Naga Council (UNC) later that day. The UNC signed up the running shoes of a police operation, demanding that the six missing villagers from Konsakhul village be found fast. Singh promised a cut‑throat shake‑up: the state would hand over the case to the National Investigation Agency. “We’re handing it to the NIA because that’s where the expertise lies,” he said, brushing a line across the session hall.
The National Investigation Agency, the nation’s premier criminal investigative unit, will also juggle the killing of the church leaders. The striking detail? The trio was the day‑old convoy of a local pulpit that strolled across crossroads, only to find themselves seated against bullet‑proof glass in a hidden ditch. “We have to find the perpetrators, and fast,” Singh added, the weight of his words laying heavy over the UNC delegates.
Since May 14, search and rescue teams have scoured the dense forests that cradle Konsakhul. Every morning, the local police, along with volunteers, sweep for skeletal cords and whispers of gunshots, hoping the trail lied beneath the fallow soil. Officers say the precincts are still clogged by muddy rumors, and the inevitable is that daylight fades before conclusions arrive. The six missing villagers’ families, meanwhile, clutch hope like a coat against bad weather.
While the state turns to the NIA, it’s also juggling a cross‑tribal plea. Singh has asked the UNC to assist in tracking 14 Kuki tribe members also reported missing a few weeks ago. Disconnections ran in the wh
