Imphal, May 16 -- Tension mounted in Manipur on Friday as Kuki-Zo organisations staged mass protests in Churachandpur over the killing of three church leaders, while Naga and Meitei civil bodies jointly protested in Imphal West demanding the safe release of six Naga civilians allegedly held captive by Kuki groups.

The parallel protests underscored the deepening strain between the Kuki and Naga communities following a fresh cycle of violence in Kangpokpi and Noney districts earlier this week.

Three senior leaders of the Thadou Baptist Association (TBA) were killed and four others injured on Wednesday when armed militants ambushed two vehicles on the road between Kangpokpi and Churachandpur in Manipur's Kangpokpi district. A Naga man was ...