Naga groups warned the Manipur government of serious consequences as a 48-hour deadline to recover the severed head of Ajinpou Ringkangmai neared its end at 7 pm on Wednesday.
Ringkangmai, a 52-year-old cultivator, was allegedly shot dead and decapitated by Kuki militants in Kangpokpi district after a group of villagers visited Makui 2 to guard it.
Naga groups have refused to permit a post-mortem examination until the missing head is recovered and returned to the grieving family for a dignified burial.