Imphal, March 12 Two men who had gone missing in the Kamjong district of Manipur were found dead on Thursday, officials said.
The deceased have been identified as Thangboimang Khongsai (35) from Shangkai in the Ukhrul district, and Thengin Baite (40) from the nearby Thawai Kuki village.
A tribal group based in the Kangpokpi district of Manipur has issued a 48-hour ultimatum to the state government to arrest those responsible for the killing.
The two had gone to repair water pipelines in a forest on Wednesday, but did not return home, villagers claimed.
Their bodies were recovered by villagers and security personnel a short distance apart, hours after 21 Tangkhul Naga civilians, who had been detained by villagers and armed men from Shangkai, were released.
Meanwhile, Chief Minister Yumnam Khemchand Singh told the Assembly on Thursday that the case would be handed over to the National Investigation Agency (NIA), and that compensation would be provided to the families of the deceased.
In a post on X, Singh said, "The government will hand over the case related to the death of two individuals at Thawai Kuki village to the NIA for a thorough and impartial investigation. Ex gratia will also be provided to the bereaved families as per government norms. The government remains committed to ensuring justice, maintaining law and order, and upholding the rule of law in the state."
Shortly after the bodies were recovered, a police vehicle was targeted by a mob at Mongkot Chepu in the Ukhrul district around 10 am. One vehicle was damaged in the attack, officials said.
Irate villagers in Shangkai also blocked the Ukhrul-Imphal road with stones and boulders to protest the killing.
Meanwhile, several organizations condemned the killing of the two.
The Committee on Tribal Unity, Sadar Hills, Kangpokpi, said that its village volunteers may be compelled to take "pre-emptive measures" to defend their land and people if the perpetrators are not brought to justice, or if the killers are not arrested within 48 hours.
Kuki Inpi Manipur, the apex body of the Kuki tribe, also condemned the killing and demanded that the perpetrators be handed over to the NIA within 48 hours.
The Indigenous People's Forum, Manipur, demanded the withdrawal of the announcement of ex-gratia.