Manipur Police suspends constable Thangginllian Vaiphei amid a departmental inquiry, prompting Congress questions over Assembly statements on the Leilon killings.
Imphal, Sept. 10: The suspension of Manipur Police constable Thangginllian Vaiphei has triggered fresh political questions over statements made in the state Assembly about his alleged role in the abduction and killing of six Liangmai Naga civilians at Leilon Vaiphei in Kangpokpi district.
Bishnupur Superintendent of Police Ksh Ravikumar Singh issued an order on September 8 placing Vaiphei under suspension with immediate effect. The constable is part of Bishnupur district police but is presently attached to Kangpokpi district police.
The order said the suspension was being effected in view of a departmental inquiry initiated by the Kangpokpi SP and a letter issued by the Superintendent of Police, NIA Imphal Branch, on August 28.
Vaiphei has been directed to remain headquartered at the District Police Reserve Line in Kangpokpi during the suspension and cannot leave the headquarters without prior permission.
The order does not establish that Vaiphei is guilty of the killings. It places him under suspension while departmental and investigative processes continue.
The development has, however, become politically contentious because of statements made in the Manipur Legislative Assembly just days earlier.
Congress questions Assembly statement on constable
Speaking to the media at Congress Bhavan in Imphal on September 10, Manipur Pradesh Congress Committee vice-president Hareshwar Goshwami questioned whether the Assembly had been properly informed about the status of the police constable.
Goshwami referred to the September 3 Assembly proceedings during which Congress MLA K. Ranjit Singh raised a starred question concerning the killing of Naga civilians.
According to Goshwami, Home Minister K. Govindas told the House that some persons involved in the killings had been arrested and that efforts were continuing to apprehend others.
When supplementary questions were raised about action against police constable Thangminlian Baite, Goshwami said the Home Minister replied that the constable was at the police station and had not been arrested.
Goshwami argued that the subsequent suspension order issued by the Bishnupur SP on September 8 raised questions about the accuracy and completeness of the information presented to the Assembly.
He questioned how the Home Minister could state that the constable was not involved when, according to the later police order, a departmental inquiry had already been initiated against him.
“Such acts are equivalent to destroying this temple of democracy,” Goshwami said, according to his statement.
He demanded that the Speaker examine the matter under the Committee on Ethics and take action if it is established that the House was misled.
Goshwami said these contradictions required clarification and a proper examination of the statements made during the Assembly proceedings.
Constable had earlier emerged as a suspect
The allegations against Vaiphei are not new. In July, several media reports stated that a serving Manipur Police constable from the Kuki community had emerged as a suspect in the killing of the six abducted Naga men and was being questioned by investigators. The report said the constable was a resident of Leilon Vaiphei village, where the Naga families had been abducted, and that investigators had gathered circumstantial evidence pointing to possible involvement.
The case concerns the abduction of Naga civilians from Leilon Vaiphei on May 13, 2026. Six men remained missing after other hostages were released. Their bodies were subsequently recovered during a security operation in June.
The recovery of the bodies led to widespread anger among Naga organisations and demands for an investigation into everyone involved in the abduction and killings.
The NIA, Manipur Police and CRPF subsequently carried out joint operations in the case. Two people were arrested in July in an NIA-led operation, while two more arrests were later reported, taking the total number of people apprehended in connection with the case to four.
Government and Naga groups differ over allegations
The status of the police constable and the Leilon Vaiphei village chief has remained disputed.
The United Naga Council alleged on September 7 that the state government was shielding the village chief and a police personnel identified as Thanggilien Vaiphei. The UNC said the Chief Minister and Home Minister had given the two a clean chit even though, according to the organisation, the investigation had not been completed.
The allegations have also been part of the wider political dispute over the government's handling of the case.
Nine Naga MLAs stayed away from the September 7 sitting of the Manipur Assembly in protest against what they described as the government's failure to deliver justice for the six civilians killed after their abduction from Leilon Vaiphei. The legislators questioned the decision to rule out the involvement of the police personnel and village chief before completion of the investigation.
The government's position, as reported during the Assembly proceedings, differed from those allegations.
The latest suspension order now establishes that a departmental inquiry involving the constable has been initiated, while the August 28 communication from the NIA's Imphal branch has also been cited as a basis for the suspension.
The contents of that NIA communication have not been made public in the suspension order.
Congress attacks BJP government over Manipur crisis
Goshwami also broadened his criticism to the BJP governments, accusing the party of being responsible for the continuing violence, killings, arrests and alleged atrocities in Manipur.
He questioned what he described as conflicting positions within the BJP over demands for administrative autonomy and territorial councils, saying the party appeared divided over the future political and administrative structure of the state.
The Congress leader claimed that the opposition party had offered cooperation to help restore peace but alleged that the government had not responded adequately.
Suspension adds another layer to investigation
The September 8 suspension order does not by itself resolve the conflicting claims surrounding Vaiphei's alleged role.
It establishes that the police department has initiated a disciplinary process and that the action followed both the Kangpokpi SP's departmental inquiry and the NIA Imphal branch's August 28 communication.
That is different from a finding of criminal guilt.
The NIA investigation into the killings remains separate from the departmental proceedings. Whether the constable faces further disciplinary or criminal action will depend on the findings of those processes.
For the Congress and Naga organisations, however, the suspension has raised a broader question: why was the constable's status described in the Assembly in terms that appeared different from the position reflected in the subsequent police order?
That question is now likely to remain part of the political debate over the Leilon Vaiphei killings and the government's handling of the investigation.
