GUWAHATI: Suspected militants killed a Thadou community leader from Assam who took part in a peace meeting in Manipur capital Imphal on August 6.
Nehkam Jomhao (59), chairman of the Thadou Literature Society, Assam, was abducted from his residence at Chonghang Veng in Manja area of Karbi Anglong district on Saturday at around 7:30 pm and killed later.
The police said six persons were arrested on Saturday night in connection with the incident.
“He was murdered although the body is yet to be recovered. The arrested persons confessed to us about killing him,” Karbi Anglong Superintendent of Police Sanjib Saikia told TNIE.
He added that the police were conducting an investigation to ascertain the motive behind the murder.
A “historic” meeting was held between the Thadou Inpi Manipur, which is the apex civil society organisation representing the Thadou tribe, and some Meitei organisations of Manipur in Imphal toward restoring peace in the ethnic violence-hit state.
That was for the first time since the conflict that any Thadou had stepped into the Meitei-majority Imphal Valley. Jomhao was part of the Thadou delegation that met the Meitei leaders. The Thadous too were affected by the conflict.
The ‘Thadou Students’ Association-General Headquarters’ said it was a cold-blooded murder.
“Nehkam Jomhao became a target because of his courageous participation in the Imphal Peace Meeting. His stand for dialogue and reconciliation displeased Kuki militants and anti-peace elements who opposed peace and understanding. This cowardly and barbaric act took away a visionary leader who believed in harmony and the dignity of all communities,” the student organisation said in a statement.
The statement further stated that the deceased was a guardian of Thadou language, literature, and cultural identity whose untiring efforts in cultural preservation, and peace-building left an indelible mark on the Thadou tribe.
“His death is not merely an individual loss, but a collective tragedy for the Thadou community. In him, we have lost a fatherly figure and a martyr whose sacrifice will forever be remembered as a turning point in our struggle for justice, peace, and identity,” the statement added.