The bodies of four Naga civilians killed in an ambush in Manipur's Kangpokpi district were retrieved on Friday morning, a day after the attack, officials said.
The four were killed and another person injured when armed assailants attacked a vehicle in an isolated area between Makui Ashang and Thanamba Naga villages around 8.30 am on Thursday, they said.
One of the deceased was the principal of a private school.
Security forces had attempted to retrieve the bodies on Thursday evening but could not reach the site due to an alleged blockade and disruptions at a village along the route, officials said.
A security team comprising state police personnel reached the ambush site on Friday morning and retrieved the bodies, which were being taken to Senapati district headquarters, they said.
On Thursday night, a large number of people gathered at Senapati district headquarters and staged a protest, demanding that the bodies be brought to the Naga-majority district.
Meanwhile, village volunteers fired several rounds in the air as a mark of respect when the bodies reached Thonglang Atongba in Kangpokpi district, officials said.
Following the killings, Chief Minister Y Khemchand Singh chaired a high-level security meeting and directed security forces to identify, arrest and take action against those involved in the attack.
The United Naga Council (UNC), the apex body of the Naga community in the state, accused two militant outfits -- Kuki National Front (P) and Kuki Revolutionary Army (KRA) -- of being involved in the ambush.
The deceased have been identified as Tadsongbou Ringkangmai, the founder and principal of a private school, M Wijunamai, Anil Wijunamai, and Wisobou Charenamai, the chairman of the Chawangkining Village Authority. The injured person has been identified as Gaikamang Ringkangmai.
All five victims belong to the Liangmai Naga community.
