IMPHAL, SEP 4: Thadou Inpi Manipur (TIM) has expressed “grave concern over the continuing failure to bring the perpetrators of the May 13, 2026, massacre of Thadou Christian leaders to justice”, despite the case having been handed over to the National Investigation Agency (NIA). TIM said more than 100 days have passed since the “targeted ambush” in which three senior Thadou Baptist Association India (TBAI) leaders—Rev. Dr. Vumthang Sitlhou, Rev. Kaigoulun Lhouvum and Pastor Paogoulen Sitlhou—were killed and five others seriously injured. “Yet, there has been no publicly known arrest. This raises serious questions about the effectiveness, independence, transparency and credibility of the NIA investigation”, it also stated.
The Thadou body then said the massacre occurred in an area where Kuki Suspension of Operation (SoO) militant groups, including the Kuki Revolutionary Army (KRA), which reportedly operates a “tax collection gate” on the road near the incident site, and the Kuki National Front (KNF),” maintain a strong presence and influence”. According to TIM, Kuki militant organisations, both under and outside the SoO framework, operate within a wider ‘unified command’ reportedly headed by Jangboi Kipgen, Home Secretary of the KNF and Chairman of the ‘unified command’ of all Kuki militant groups in Kangpokpi district.
Significantly, the two vehicles carrying the Thadou leaders bore clearly visible TBA signage on their fronts, the Thadou body pointed out. Vehicles travelling ahead of and behind them, reportedly carrying people including Kukis, were not attacked, TIM alleged. “Only the two TBA vehicles were targeted”, it further alleged, adding, “This highly selective nature of the attack raises a compelling question that the NIA must answer: were the victims specifically identified and targeted because of their Thadou identity and their association with TBA? The apparent selectivity of the attack makes the victims’ ethnic identity a potentially crucial element in establishing the motive and identifying those responsible”.
TIM then said it does not prejudge the guilt of any organisation or individual. However, these armed structures and their operational influence cannot be ignored, it also said. The NIA must establish whether any cadres, commanders, intelligence networks or associates had prior knowledge of the TBAI leaders’ movements, supplied intelligence, facilitated the attack, or subsequently assisted in concealing evidence or obstructing justice, the Thadou body added.
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TIM is also deeply concerned about the political environment surrounding the case. It said wives of the supremos of two Kuki SoO militant groups are members of the state government, while several other MLAs are closely connected—through family, political, organisational or other ties—with Kuki SoO militant groups that appear to enjoy considerable impunity and influence within government administration, intelligence and security structures.
TIM said these relationships do not, by themselves, establish criminal responsibility. “However, where persons exercising governmental authority have familial or political connections with organisations relevant to a major criminal investigation, potential conflicts of interest and political influence must be independently examined”.
The Thadou body then said the NIA must also determine whether any government officials, political actors or security personnel possessed prior information about the attack, failed to act despite having relevant information, or subsequently influenced, obstructed or compromised the investigation.
“Why Has the NIA Refused to Correct the Victims’ Identity?” the Thadou body asked. TIM is deeply disturbed that the three murdered pastors have been identified or labelled as “Kuki” or “Kuki-Zo” in NIA-related material, despite their established identity as Thadou and their leadership of the Thadou Baptist Association India, an independent Thadou Christian institution, not a Kuki church or organisation. TIM said it had formally requested the NIA to correct this mislabelling and identify the victims as Thadou. The NIA refused. “This raises a fundamental question: Why does the NIA insist on maintaining a wrong Kuki classification when the victims’ own community, institution and representatives have formally challenged it?”, TIM further asked.
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The Thadou body also asked, “More importantly, could this labelling be influencing the investigation’s understanding of motive and possible perpetrators? If Thadou victims are classified as Kuki or Kuki-Zo, could that framing obscure the possibility that they were targeted precisely because they were Thadou?”
TIM then said it does not allege, without evidence, that the NIA deliberately adopted this classification to shield any particular group. “However, the possibility of investigative bias must be examined, particularly when the agency has refused to correct the classification. Accurate identification of the victims may be fundamental to establishing motive and uncovering the truth”, the Thadou body added.
“NIA must answer to the public. After more than 100 days, the NIA must explain, within the limits of an ongoing investigation: What progress has been made? What evidence has been collected? Why has nobody been arrested?” TIM questioned.
Tha Thadou further threw up several more questions by asking, “Have Kuki militant groups operating in the area and their command structures been thoroughly investigated? Have possible political connections, conflicts of interest and official interference been examined? Why has the NIA refused to correct the victims’ identity? Has their Thadou identity been investigated as a possible element of the motive?”
TIM then said it does not demand arbitrary arrests. “We demand evidence-based investigation, due process and equal application of the law. But due process cannot become an excuse for indefinite delay”.
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TIM, therefore, demanded an independent, impartial, transparent and time-bound investigation, protected from political and institutional interference, and prosecution of every person found responsible—whether perpetrator, planner, intelligence provider, facilitator of justice.
The Thadou body then said families have waited more than 100 days. The Thadou community has waited for the truth. “Justice cannot be allowed to become a casualty of political influence, institutional failure or investigative bias”, it added.
