Photo Courtesy: ukhrultimes
Imphal: The Thadou Students’ Association-General Headquarters (TSA-GHQ) has formally demanded that the National Investigation Agency (NIA) take over the probe into the May 13 ambush on the Kotlen–Kotzim road in Manipur’s Kangpokpi district. The attack claimed the lives of Rev. Dr. Vumthang Sitlhou, TBAI Finance Secretary Rev. Kaigoulun Lhouvum, and Pastor Paogoulen Sitlhou, while leaving five others injured.
In a scathing statement, the TSA condemned the incident as a "barbaric terrorist ambush" and accused the Manipur state government of "criminal neglect," "terror shielding," and systemic discrimination against the Thadou community. The association expressed deep frustration over the lack of meaningful state action five days post-incident and alleged that ethnic divisions within the Manipur Police have severely compromised law enforcement and counter-insurgency operations.
The TSA specifically demanded the removal of the Director General of Police and criticized the silence of top government officials. Furthermore, the association alleged that injured survivors were pressured to relocate from Shija Hospital in Imphal to Kangpokpi Civil Hospital immediately following surgery, describing the act as inhumane and discriminatory. Concerns were also raised regarding intimidation by certain Kuki organizations attempting to manipulate the narrative of the attack.
Conversely, the association expressed gratitude toward the Assam Rifles, specifically citing the life-saving intervention of Major Sahil Rishi, Captain Nando Babu, Colonel Radha Krishna, and Brigadier Pratyush Kumar. Following the peaceful burial of the victims, the TSA remains firm in its six non-negotiable demands, which include comprehensive protection for survivors, the end of state-level discrimination, and a formal acknowledgment of the targeted nature of the killings by the Chief Minister.
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