Manipur: BJP leader Michael Lamjathang Haokip’s house attacked after a TV discussion on ‘Kuki Supremacy & its agenda’, bullets fired, rooms set on fire
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The discussion in which the leader was the panellist 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.
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.”
watch this- https://x.com/NBirenSingh/status/1828270699670118737
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 neighbours and other residents in the neighbourhood. Everybody in the area is angry at the attackers,” the leader said.
watch this- https://x.com/NortheastToday/status/1828279292490559813
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.
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.
