SoO leader led May 3 violence at Torbung: TIM
Source: The Sangai Express

Imphal, September 01 2025: Kuki militants under the Suspension of Operation (SoO) were directly involved in the Manipur violence, the Thadou Inpi Manipur (TIM) has asserted, calling on the Government of India to abrogate the "flawed" agreement.

Armed with assault rifles, KNO cadres led by its Deputy Commander-in-Chief Thenthang Haokip actively participated in the violence at Torbung-Bangla, targeting civilians, TIM said.

Notably, TIM revealed this "involvement" of the Kuki militants in the Manipur violence in a memorandum it submitted to the Govt of India and Govt of Assam and Manipur today, calling for abrogation of the SoO agreement.

The Thadou Inpi Manipur (TIM) is an apex body of the Thadou community, and has been advocating reconciliation between communities to restore peace in Manipur.

TIM's "urgent" 35-page memorandum, submitted to the Centre and the Governments of Manipur and Assam, emphasised that a decisive action must be taken to correct the "past policy errors" and abrogate the SoO pact immediately.

SoO leader led May 3 violence at Torbung: TIM

The SoO pact is fundamentally flawed and unconstitutional, posing a grave threat to the State's authority.

While also granting the Kuki militant groups undue power through their presence on the Joint Monitoring Group, the agreement has enabled them to act with impunity, committing a range of crimes without fear of consequences, TIM said.

The recent killing of Nehkam Jomhao, chairman of the Thadou Literature Society in Assam is one of many examples of Kuki militants' atrocities targeting people of the Thadou community who advocate peace and reconciliation.

Nehkam Jomhao was brutally tortured and murdered by Kuki militants, KRA and UKDA at Manja village in Assam's Karbi Anglong district, on August 30, simply because he stood up for Thadou identity and peace, TIM said in the memorandum.

"The SoO agreement has been a complete failure, serving only to empower the Kuki militants to carry out widespread violence, persecution, jihadist-influenced Kuki supremacist ideology, and criminal activities against the Thadou people," TIM said, citing recent atrocities committed by Kuki militant groups including organized campaign of social boycotts, threats, and illegal edicts issued by CSOs backed them and Churches against the Thadou community.

The agreement has provided a de facto political cover for the Kuki militant groups to operate with impunity, creating a parallel Government, state of lawlessness and undermining democratic institutions.

The Kuki supremacists are engaged in a systematic campaign of "cultural genocide" against Thadou and to erase the Thadou identity, TIM said.

It said the "radical Kuki supremacist network consists of Kuki SoO groups, particularly the KNO, Kuki CSOs like Kuki Inpi, KSO, and Kuki Churches like the Kuki Christian Council (KCC) and Kuki Worship Service (KWS), being the key drivers of hate campaigns, and violent Kuki supremacist agendas and policies".

TIM then named key individuals, including "Dr T Lunkim, supremo of Kuki Christian Church (KCC), Dr TL Angam Haokip, Pastor Onkho Haokip, Pastor Demlal Haokip, PS Haokip, president of Kuki National Organisation (KNO), and Saikot MLA Paolienlal Haokip, among others, as promoters of divisive ideology, which spreads hatred and incites violence" .

The Kuki militant groups under SoO have subverted democratic processes, engaging in widespread electoral malpractice, booth capturing, voter intimidation, and forced bloc voting, which have effectively disenfranchised the Thadous and others.

They are involved in cross-border terrorism, arms smuggling and the recruitment of youth for proxy militant outfits, said TIM, asserting that the Kuki National Army-Burma (KNA-B) is an extension of the Churachandpur-based KNO/KNA, a SoO group.

"The SoO agreement has facilitated a significant increase in poppy cultivation and drug trafficking, leading to widespread drug abuse among youth and severe environmental damage.

Manipur has become a major hub for the illegal drug trade, comparable to the 'Golden Triangle', and the SoO militants are key players in this network," TIM said.

Further, the memorandum pointed to possible links between Kuki groups and anti-India separatist groups and agendas, citing "alliance" between Kuki groups outside of India and pro-Khalistan separatists in Canada during the peak of the India-Canada diplomatic dispute in August 2023.There has been a viral video showing a North American Manipur Tribal Association (NAMTA) leader delivering an anti-India speech at the Surrey Gurdwara, as they sought support from these groups in the ongoing Manipur violence.

Further, publications like Zalengam: The Kuki Nation, written by KNO president PS Haokip, promote ideas of Kuki sovereignty, supremacy, and radicalism.

These contribute to a deep-seated ideological indoctrination, which could be a factor in the prolonged violence in Manipur, TIM said.

The existence of SoO militant groups is a serious threat to the rule of law and the Constitutional integrity of India, and its termination is necessary to restore civil society, uphold democratic principles, and ensure the safety and human rights of the Thadou and other affected people.

In the memorandum, TIM categorically reasserted and explained that the Thadou is neither Kuki nor under Kuki, but a separate independent ethnic group.

The Thadou, a peaceful society, was disrupted by the rise of a radical Kuki supremacy ideology beginning in the 1970s and the subsequent emergence of Kuki militancy in the late 1980s, it said.

TIM emphasised that the term "Kuki" is a "colonial construct" not accepted by the indigenous tribes of Manipur and Assam.

In Myanmar, the Chin ethnic group includes 53 subgroups, one of which is the Thadou, recognized there as an indigenous ethnic group with its own ethnic population/census code (427) under the broader Chin category.

In contrast, "Kuki" is not a recognized ethnic group and has no historical standing in that country, TIM pointed out.

The memorandum was addressed to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Union Home Minister Amit Shah, Manipur Governor Ajay Kumar Bhalla, and Assam Chief Minister Dr Himanta Biswa Sarma.

Copies of the memorandum were also submitted to AK Mishra, Adviser (North East), MHA, GoI, and Tapan Deka, Director, Intelligence Bureau, MHA, GoI, among others.