Manipur BJP spokesperson’s house set on fire – third attack since last year

According to sources, armed miscreants torched Haokip’s ancestral home at Peniel village in Churachandpur district’s Tuibuong block. This damaged a major portion of the house, which is currently occupied by his parents. The BJP spokesperson was out of station when the incident occurred, and no one was reported injured.

Speaking to The Indian Express, Haokip called for the violence to end.

“Through the apex bodies of the Thadou community, I have tried to reach out for dialogue and reason with whoever is behind such violence, but to no avail. We believe in justice and non-violence and understand the futility of using violence when the state has endured enough. We want this violence to be stopped and don’t want the common people to suffer beyond this,” he said.

Manipur Chief Minister N Biren Singh also condemned the attack. “The repeated targeting of our people (Thadou in this case), often under the guise of peace rallies, is a deeply troubling trend. Such acts of provocation will not be tolerated. We will ensure that those responsible are held accountable. Moreover, action will be taken against the concerned officials who failed to provide adequate security, despite prior warnings of potential threats,” the CM said in a social media post.

The Deputy Commissioner of Churachandpur district, Dharun Kumar S, also wrote a letter to the SP of the district to immediately conduct an enquiry and submit a report at the earliest.

Meanwhile, the Thadou Students’ Association (TSA) General Headquarters wrote a letter to the Thadou Students’ Organisation (TSO), Myanmar, asking it to look into the source of arms supply, if any, to Kuki militant groups and to immediately cut such supplies off to prevent further violence and protect the Thadou community.

“We bring to your attention the escalating violence in Manipur, where arms and ammunition are being misused to perpetrate atrocities against the Thadou community under the pretext of fighting for separate administration. Specifically, the residence of T Michael Lamjathang Haokip, president of TSA-GHQ, has been attacked three times. We urge you to take swift and decisive action to address this critical situation and ensure the safety and security of the Thadou people,” the TSA statement said.