On Monday, 26th August, the house of Michael Lamjathang Haokip, a BJP spokesperson and Thadou community leader, was attacked in the Churachandpur district of Manipur after he participated in a TV discussion. The discussion in which the leader was the panelist was titled “Kuki Supremacy and Its Propaganda.” During the incident, the miscreants are believed to have shot approximately ten rounds of bullets at his house.
Manipur CM N Biren Singh took cognizance of the event and condemned the attack. Calling the attack an act of cowardice, he said, “I consider this personal harm being put on one of our recognized tribes as a direct challenge to the unity and the integrity of the State. Attacks on any particular community of the recognized tribes of Manipur as well as the attack on the family of the BJP Spokesperson are condemned in the strongest terms. We will initiate appropriate legal action against the culprits.”
The attack carried out on the family members of Micheal Lamjathang a leader of the Thadou community, one of the oldest among the ethnic tribes of Manipur, as well as a BJP spokesperson by vandalizing his house was an act of cowardice.
— N. Biren Singh (@NBirenSingh) August 27, 2024
I consider this personal harm being put on…
As per the CM, the leader belongs to the Thadou community which is the oldest among the ethnic tribes of Manipur. Haokip, while talking about the vandalism to NDTV, mentioned that two rooms of his house were set on fire by the miscreants. “Around 30 people barged in at 10.30 pm. They poured kerosene on the walls and burned two rooms. They also fired many rounds in the air to scare our neighbors and other residents in the neighborhood. Everybody in the area is angry at the attackers,” the leader said.
#Manipur | The house of BJP spokesperson and Thadou community leader Michael Lamjathang Haokip was attacked by unknown miscreants in Churachandpur district following his participation in a TV discussion. The topic of the discussion was "Kuki Supremacy and Its Propaganda," and… pic.twitter.com/D3MTxxI3YJ
— NORTHEAST TODAY (@NortheastToday) August 27, 2024
State minister Govindas Konthoujam also condemned the incident on X. “I strongly condemn the barbaric attack on Thadou student leader & BJP Manipur Spokesperson Michael Lamjathang Haokip in Peniel village, Churachandpur. This cowardly act of violence against his home & family is not just an assault on an individual but on the entire Thadou community & our civilization. Such heinous acts expose the mentality of those who, are unable to engage in logical debate & resort to violence. We must stand united against such attempts to silence voices through fear,” he said.
2/2 entire Thadou community & our civilization. Such heinous acts expose the mentality of those who, unable to engage in logical debate & resort to violence. We must stand united against such attempts to silence voices through fear. #JusticeForMichael #StandAgainstViolence
— Govindas Konthoujam (@KonthoujamG) August 26, 2024
The Thadou Community International (TCI) also strongly condemned the attack on Michael Lamjathang Haokip’s home. According to TCI, the attack occurred about 10:30 pm local time on August 25th, 2024, when about thirty armed miscreants suspected of supporting the Kuki supremacy movement attacked his residence in Peniel village, Churachandpur, Manipur. The intruders shot several rounds of weapons, entered the house, and set fire to some of the belongings.
Following the incident, a video emerged on social media of a man brandishing a gun and threatening to kill Michael Lamjathang. The attack happened just hours after Michael took part in a TV panel debate on “Kuki Supremacy and Its Agenda.” This is the second attack on his residence, after the first that took place in May 2023 and involved blazes and gunshots by alleged armed Kuki militants. Michael had also survived an attempted assassination in April 2023.
The TCI statement condemned the incident, calling it brutal, cowardly, and an attack on the entire Thadou community. The statement highlighted that the incident was an attempt to instill terror in the Thadou community as well as an assault on civilization. “What Michael discussed, as part of the panel discussion last night, about the historical and ongoing persecution of Thadous by extremist Kuki supremacists was the tip of the iceberg,” the statement added.
Haokip stated that he has been raising awareness about his tribe, Thadou, being incorrectly identified as a Kuki tribe during the ethnic conflict in Manipur. He claimed that was the second time his residence in Churachandpur had been attacked, purportedly by individuals who do not recognize the Thadou tribe’s distinct identity.
