Guwahati: The Thadou Community International (TCI) on Sunday demanded immediate security for Thadou leaders and their families in Assam and Manipur following the killing of respected community figure Nehkam Jomhao (59).
TCI described the incident as a “cold-blooded murder,” claiming it reflects a broader pattern of persecution and cultural genocide faced by the Thadou people at the hands of Kuki militant groups.
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Jomhao, Chairman of the Thadou Literature Society, Assam, was one of seventeen delegates who travelled to Imphal on August 6 to participate in a peace meeting between the Thadou and Meitei communities. Police confirmed that armed cadres abducted him near his home in Manja village, Karbi Anglong, tortured him, and later killed him. Authorities believe the perpetrators dumped his body in a flooded river, which remains unrecovered despite extensive search operations.
Several groups strongly condemned the murder, including the Thadou Inpi Manipur (TIM), Meitei Heritage Society (MHS), Meetei Alliance (MA), and the Thadou Students’ Association (TSA). They stated that Jomhao was targeted specifically for his courageous role in promoting peace.
TIM alleged that cadres from the Kuki Revolutionary Army (KRA) and the United Kukigam Defence Army (UKDA) carried out the attack. According to the group, the assailants assaulted Jomhao inside his home. He fled to seek help but was pursued, struck with a machete, and beaten to death. TIM blamed government policy for allowing militants to live in civilian areas, calling it a “serious breach of peace and national security.”
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The killing has reignited demands to abrogate the Suspension of Operations (SoO) pact between the Government of India and Kuki armed groups. TIM and TCI asserted that the pact has failed, enabling militants to regroup and operate with impunity. Both organizations urged the Assam and Manipur governments to declare KRA and UKDA as terrorist organizations.
The Meetei Alliance (MA) went further, calling on the Governor to reject any extension of the SoO pact with Kuki militant groups.
MA argued that the protection granted to these groups is unconstitutional and morally indefensible.
The Meitei Heritage Society (MHS) also appealed to Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma to ensure swift action and bring the perpetrators to justice.
The Thadou Students’ Association (TSA) described Jomhao as a martyr who gave his life for peace and unity.
The group stated that his sacrifice would inspire Thadou youth to uphold education, culture, and dialogue in the face of violence and oppression.
Community leaders warned that the killers of the peace negotiator are sending a dangerous message, that they will respond to dialogue with violence.
They fear this incident could spark fresh ethnic tensions in the region if authorities fail to act swiftly.
For the Thadou people, Jomhao’s death is not an isolated event but the culmination of long-standing threats and intimidation from Kuki militant groups. Community organizations emphasized that unless authorities punish the killers and dismantle the SoO framework, lasting peace will remain unattainable.
In its press release, TCI underscored the urgency of the situation, stating: “The Thadou people cannot live under the rule of fear. Unless the masterminds of this killing are punished and militant groups dismantled, regional stability will continue to crumble.”
Meanwhile, just hours earlier, an unidentified assailant shot Dip Saikia, an Assamese journalist from Jorhat working with Nagaland-based Hornbill TV, while he was covering a flower festival in Lai village, Senapati district. The attacker shot Saikia twice—in the armpit and leg—using what police suspect was a pressurized air rifle. Locals rushed him to a nearby hospital before authorities transferred him to Nagaland for further treatment.
Villagers apprehended the shooter, identified as Litingse Thonger Naga, who claimed he mistook Saikia for a bird. However, Saikia suspected foul play and linked the attack to recent threats he received after Nagaland’s Deputy Chief Minister criticized him.
Saikia is under treatment and struggling for life.