A 71-year-old Kuki farmer was found dead in Manipur’s Kangpokpi district on Sunday, a day after he was allegedly abducted from his farm. The man, Hemjang Haokip of Khunkho Kuki village, had gone to his agricultural field near Leimakhong on Saturday. His field hut was later found burnt, and his body was recovered during a search on Sunday. The Kuki Youth Organisation alleged that Haokip was taken away at gunpoint around 3 pm on October 3 by armed men suspected to be cadres of the NSCN-IM. The allegation could not be independently verified. The Village Authority of Ariang, a Naga village nearby, denied any involvement by its residents. It said the two villages had maintained peaceful relations for decades. Security forces, including state police and central forces, joined the search operation. Sniffer dogs were deployed to trace the missing farmer. A combined team including the CRPF’s CoBRA unit has been deployed in the area after the incident. The killing comes amid heightened tensions in the Leimakhong-Khunkho area. Kuki groups have alleged that Naga residents have been stopping Kuki villagers from reaching their fields.