Thadou tribe leader 'killed' in Assam search on for body Police

    Diphu (Assam), Sep 1 (PTI) A senior leader of the Thadou tribe, who was part of the recent peace initiative in Manipur, has been allegedly murdered in Assam’s Karbi Anglong district, a police officer said on Monday.
    He said five suspects have been arrested so far, though the body of the deceased is yet to be recovered.
    The official said Nehkam Jomhao, who lived in rented accommodation in Kuki Basti in Manja area, was purportedly killed with sharp weapons on Saturday night and his body thrown into the nearby Jamuna river.
    "Search operations for the body have been continuing since Sunday," he said.
    The official said, besides the five persons who have been arrested, a couple of others were brought in for preliminary questioning.
    Top police officers, forensic experts and a CID team have visited the incident site, and a probe is on to ascertain the cause of the alleged murder, he added.
    Asked if Jomhao could have been targeted for attending the peace meet along with the Meitei community leaders in Imphal last month, the officer said, "We cannot say anything at the moment. We have to look into all possible angles."
    For the first time since the outbreak of ethnic unrest in the state in 2023, a delegation from Thadou Inpi Manipur (TIM), representing the Thadou community, held talks with various Meitei civil society organisations (CSOs) and student bodies in the first week of August, marking a crucial move towards fostering dialogue and mutual understanding among communities.
    
    While researchers claim that Thadou is the largest sub-tribe of the Kuki community, TIM asserts that they are a distinct tribe and not part of the Kuki group.

(This story has not been edited by THE WEEK and is auto-generated from PTI)