Naga Body Issues 48-hour Ultimatum For Return Of Man’s Severed Head Amid Fresh Manipur Violence
In a statement issued on Sunday, the Joint Tribes Council Manipur (also referred to as Joint Tribes Council or WC-JTC in some reports), representing communities including the Inpui, Liangmai, Rongmei and Zeme, said, “The head of Ajinbou R remains missing. Post-mortem will not be conducted till his head is returned to his family members for a dignified burial. We will not allow state machinery to mutilate the remains further while his head is treated as a trophy by militants.”
Guwahati: A Naga civil society organisation has issued a non-negotiable 48-hour ultimatum demanding the return of the severed head of a 52-year-old man allegedly killed in a militant attack in Manipur’s Kangpokpi district, as fresh ethnic violence claimed at least nine lives since Friday.
The headless body of Ajinbou R (also referred to as Ajinbou Ringkangmai), a resident of Makui Ashang village, was brought to the Jawaharlal Nehru Institute of Medical Sciences (JNIMS) in Imphal for post-mortem on Sunday night. A video purportedly showing his severed head among heavily armed militants in camouflage circulated widely on social media on Saturday.
In a statement issued on Sunday, the Joint Tribes Council Manipur (also referred to as Joint Tribes Council or WC-JTC in some reports), representing communities including the Inpui, Liangmai, Rongmei and Zeme, said, “The head of Ajinbou R remains missing. Post-mortem will not be conducted till his head is returned to his family members for a dignified burial. We will not allow state machinery to mutilate the remains further while his head is treated as a trophy by militants.”
The council described the incident as “an affront to humanity” and held both the state and Central governments directly responsible for the renewed violence. It warned that failure to locate and return the severed head within 48 hours would force it to take “the most stringent measures” to secure justice. Some reports indicated the body of another victim, Dibambou Ringkangmai (48), was also involved in the demand to halt post-mortems until the head is recovered.
Ajinbou was among those killed in a suspected militant attack on Makui Ashang village in Kangpokpi district on Saturday. Naga organisations identified other victims in related incidents as including Dibambou Ringkangmai, Machungamang Daimai and Ramningpou Gangmei. The broader wave of violence on Friday and Saturday left at least nine people dead in separate firing incidents across Kamjong, Ukhrul and Kangpokpi districts.
The killings and violence escalated after a 22-year-old mother of five was shot dead by unknown assailants in Kuki-dominated Chassad village in Naga-majority Kamjong district on Friday night.
The council and other Naga bodies have alleged the involvement of armed groups operating under the Suspension of Operations (SoO) agreement and criticised authorities for failing to act.
