March 17, 2025: Calling it an act against the mercy of His Grace, the ‘Hmar Inpui’ leader Laltanpuia Hmar, who is also the strongest proponent member of the Indigenous Tribal Leaders’ Forum (ITLF), was brutally beaten and left to die in Churachandpur last night.
Laltanpuia Hmar has been admitted to the hospital due to excessive bleeding and injuries, and his condition cannot be stated as stable while filing this report.
According to the apex body of the Hmar Tribe, the Hmar Inpui, at around 7:30 pm on the night of March 16, 2025 (Sunday), the Hmar Inpui General Secretary, Richard Laltanpuia Hmar, was caught by a group of men on his way home, then blindfolded and beaten incessantly after he asserted his identity inside the campus of VK Montessori School, Zenhang Lamka.
The Hmar Inpui has stated that they shall not take the matter lightly as it amounts to insensible provocation and disgrace to the community. The perpetrators, whoever they are, must surrender on or before 10:00 AM on March 17, 2025 (Monday), at the Hmar Inpui Office, Rengkai. They also warned the perpetrators that failing to do so would compel ‘Hmar Inpui’ to take its own course of action.
Meanwhile, curfew has been imposed in Churachandpur until further notice by an order signed by Additional Magistrate, Churachandpur, Thangboi Gangte, to prevent any untoward incidents in the district. Visuals also received here show people taking to the streets in protest, blocking roads against such a brutal act.
The ITLF has also condemned the act, terming it a “heinous and cowardly assault on a member of the Indigenous Tribal Leaders’ Forum (ITLF) and General Secretary of Hmar Inpui, last night inside the campus of VK Montessori School, Zenhang Lamka.”
“Regrettably, this incident is not an isolated one. ITLF members have been repeatedly targeted, highlighting a disturbing pattern of harassment and violence. We denounce these cowardly acts, which seek to silence and intimidate our leadership and members,” said ITLF.
