Ukhrul, September 1: The Coordinating Committee on Manipur Integrity (COCOMI) has expressed its shock over the brutal murder of 59-year-old Nehkam Jomhao, Thadou Literature Society on August 30 at Karbi Anglong in Assam.
“His assassination on 30 August 2025, at his own home in Chonghang Veng, Manja, Karbi Anglong, Assam, was executed with shocking brutality, perpetrated by suspected extremists tied to Chin-Kuki narco-terrorist outfits (UKDA & KRA). His mutilated remains were discarded in a nearby river and remain unlocated, adding to the trauma of this heinous act,” COCOMI alleged in a statement.
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COCOMI noted that Jomhao was more than a community leader.
His participation in the “Road to Peace-Covenant of Community Understanding” on 6 August 2025, between Manipur CSOs and Thadou Inpi Manipur, demonstrated his unwavering commitment to unity and reconciliation. Yet, peaceful voices like his are being systematically targeted, COCOMI stated adding that covert narco-terrorist networks were employing violence not only to disrupt peace but to crush the aspirations of those who dare envision a united Manipur-one where communities co-exist without fear.
“These acts of terror are not isolated; they are calculated suppressions of collective will. They aim to silence those who dare to dream of a peaceful, undivided state. It is precisely because Mr. Jomhao represented this voice of unity that he was made a target reminding us all how radical, Narco-driven forces seek to extinguish hope,” COCOMI stated.
The recent arrest of six suspects offers some promise, but this must not lull us into premature complacency. This tragedy is a symptom of a more insidious disease, engineered at the highest levels of these terror networks. Justice demands that we dismantle the entire machinery from field operatives to strategists and financiers and not let mere individual accountability suffice, COCOMI added.
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COCOMI also vehemently condemned the Government of India’s continued strategy of appeasement under the guise of peace talks. It alleged that the so-called peace agreements, particularly the Suspension of Operations (SoO), were being misused to afford narco-terrorist factions impunity.
“These arrangements are effectively state-backed shields that enable separatist ambitions and embolden terror while the true architects of conflict remain protected. This policy of dual standards labeling some terror groups as “negotiable” while ignoring their criminality only deepens mistrust among indigenous communities and erodes the foundations of law and order,” COCOMI stated.
Further, COCOMI appealed to all peace-loving people of Manipur to stand united against terror and added that such terror units can be defeated only through unified action civil society, local communities, and institutional forces in tandem and reclaim the path toward peace.
“Let Mr. Jomhao’s martyrdom ignite a renewed commitment not just to justice, but to a future where Manipur stands as one. We must persevere until terror is broken, and the voice of unity prevails,” COCOMI added.
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