A Thadou community leader from Assam who had participated in a peace meeting with Meitei groups in Manipur’s capital Imphal nearly a month ago has been killed allegedly by Kuki extremists, The Hindu reported

Nehkam Jomhao was abducted from his home in the Chonghang Veng area in the Karbi Anglong district around 7.30 pm on Saturday, and killed later, the police said.

Six persons, including some members of the Kuki Revolutionary Army, have been arrested for the killing, according to the police. “They confessed to having killed the abducted person, whose body is yet to be recovered,” Karbi Anglong Superintendent of Police Sanjib Saikia was quoted as saying by The Hindu.

Manipur has been embroiled in ethnic clashes between the Meiteis and Kuki-Zo-Hmar communities that have killed at least 260 persons and displaced more than 59,000 persons since May 2023. There were periodic upticks in violence in 2024.

President’s Rule was imposed in February after Chief Minister N Biren Singh resigned.

While the Thadous have long been considered part of the broader Kuki umbrella, several community leaders have been asserting that they have a distinct identity independent of the Kukis.

Jomhao killed for pursuing peace: Thadou groups

Thadou organisations alleged that Jomhao was targeted for pursuing peace with the Meiteis notwithstanding diktats from several Kuki armed groups, The Hindu reported.

The Thadou Students’ Association-General Headquarters said Jomhao’s stand for dialogue and reconciliation “displeased Kuki militants and anti-peace elements who opposed peace and understanding”, the newspaper reported.

On August 6, the Thadou Inpi Manipur, the tribe’s apex social body, had held what it described as a “historic” meeting in Imphal with four Meitei organisations, including armed Meitei group Arambai Tenggol.

The Thadou Community International also condemned the killing, saying that Thadou people have faced “relentless suppression and persecution”, particularly at the hands of militant groups aligned with Kuki organisations.

The Coordinating Committee on Manipur Integrity, an umbrella body of six organisations representing Meitei interests, described Jomhao’s killing as a “calculated suppression of collective will”.

“They [extremists] aim to silence those who dare to dream of a peaceful, undivided state,” the group said.

The Coordinating Committee on Manipur Integrity said that Jomhao’s participation in the meeting on August 6 reflected his committment to unity and reconciliation. “Yet, peaceful voices like his are being systematically targeted,” it said.

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