"Act Without Delay": Thadou Tribe Seeks Action Against Kuki Insurgents In Assam, Writes To Chief Minister

Members of the Thadou tribe held a protest in Assam's Guwahati on Wednesday seeking justice for Thadou leader Nehkam Jomhao, who was tortured and killed by Kuki insurgents in Karbi Anglong last month.

While the Kuki Revolutionary Army (KRA) admitted five of its insurgents were involved in the murder of the 59-year-old Thadou leader, it said they acted on their own without the knowledge of the organisation. The KRA Assam agreed to help in the police investigation.

Thadou tribe organisations said they want immediate arrest and prosecution of the masterminds behind the murder of Nehkam Jomhao, and asked the Assam government to end the suspension of operations (SoO) agreement with Kuki insurgents in the state.

Naming leaders of the KRA, KLA, UKDA and other insurgent groups, the protesters questioned the legal and constitutional basis of the SoO agreement when Kuki insurgents-despite the ground rules-continue to indulge in violence and killing at will.

All Kuki militant outfits should be declared as terrorist organisations under relevant laws and their camps should be dismantled, the protesters said in a memorandum to Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma.

The Thadou tribe's key organisations in Assam and neighbouring Manipur say they have been pushing back against "Kuki supremacists" who want to put the Thadou-a distinct tribe-under the Kuki umbrella by force to steal their language and other cultural capital.

"As a peace-loving and law-abiding community, the Thadou people firmly believe in the rule of law. With very limited numbers and without any armed groups of our own, we continue to place our faith in the government of India and the government of Assam to protect all citizens under the laws of the land," the Thadou Students' Association (TSA) Guwahati said in the memorandum.

Members of the Thadou tribe protest in Assam's Guwahati seeking justice for Thadou leader Nehkam Jomhao, who was killed by Kuki insurgents

"We are not afraid of anti-peace elements, but we do expect the government to ensure justice, security, and protection for our people. We stand committed to peace and harmony, but we cannot remain silent in the face of terror, persecution, and cultural annihilation. We therefore appeal to your esteemed office to act without delay," the memorandum said.

Murder Of Thadou Peace Advocate

Nehkam Jomhao, 59, chairman of the Thadou Literature Society, had attended a peace meeting in Manipur's capital Imphal on August 6 and shared a stage with civil society organisations from the Meitei community. The event was seen as a significant step at demonstrating the resilience of the common people in overcoming hate and misunderstanding, the attendees had told reporters.

However, Kuki insurgent groups had criticised that event as a betrayal amid the Meitei-Kuki ethnic tension in Manipur. Days after Nehkam Jomhao returned to Assam, the Kuki insurgents killed him.

"This barbaric act is not just an attack on an individual but an assault on peace, harmony, and the very identity of the Thadou people. Prior threats, reports to police, and now the confession of Kuki Revolutionary Army (KRA) leaders and SoO-linked militants make it clear that this act was planned and deliberate. Such repeated acts of violence by Kuki militant groups are pushing our community to the brink of cultural and physical extermination," the Thadou memorandum submitted to the Assam chief minister said.

The Karbi Anglong district commissioner on September 6 wrote to the district Thadou Inpi, Thadou Women's Association Assam, and the district Thadou Students Association to inform them that memorandums seeking decisive action against Kuki insurgents in Assam "has been sent to all the department concerned of Government of Assam including Hon'ble Chief Minister of Assam and Hon'ble CEM, Kart anglong Autonomous Council and NC Hills Autonomous Council... for taking further necessary action from the authority concerned."

Thadou organisations alleged the murder of the civilian by Kuki insurgents in Assam indicated they want to enlarge the Manipur crisis and make it spill over to neighbouring states.

KRA Feared Assam Action?

Sources said the KRA's admission of the involvement of five of its insurgents came swiftly after top Assam officials began closely monitoring the developments in the autonomous district following the killing of the Thadou tribe leader.

Civil society and student organisations from other communities such as Karbi and Dimasa had also joined hands in the fresh protest against Kuki insurgents operating in Assam, where the police are seen to be highly experienced and proactive in tackling insurgency.

Three suspected National Socialist Council of Nagaland insurgents who entered Assam allegedly to extort money from the National Highways Authority of India were killed in a 60-hour operation by the security forces in Dima Hasao district in April.

In July 2024, three Hmar insurgents were killed in an encounter in Cachar district, near the border with Manipur's Jiribam. While allegations of a fake encounter were raised by Hmar groups, the Assam Police chief and Mr Sarma had warned people against spreading misinformation.

In November 2024, the Thadou tribe in what its leaders called a "historic" event released a 10-point declaration to protect the tribe's distinct identity and heritage amid the ethnic crisis in Manipur. Leaders and delegates of the Thadou tribe from across the country and abroad, and leaders of Mizoram-based organisations had attended the Thadou Convention in Assam's Guwahati.

The Thadou Convention's declaration on the first of the two-day event emphasised on the tribe's distinct ethnic identity having its own language, culture, traditions, and history.

"Thadou is not Kuki, or underneath Kuki, or part of Kuki, but a separate, independent entity from Kuki... Thadou is one of the original 29 native/indigenous tribes of Manipur, India, that were all simultaneously and duly recognised as independent Scheduled Tribes of Manipur under the 1956 Presidential Order, Government of India," the declaration stated.