Hmar Women Association Condemns Arbitrary Arrest of Thanglienlal and Lalrosang Hmar

HMAR WOMEN ASSOCIATION
General Headquarters
Churachandpur, Manipur - 795128

PRESS RELEASE
the 1st August, 2025

The Hmar Women Association expresses its deep concern and unequivocal condemnation of the arbitrary arrest of Mr. Thanglienlal Hmar and Mr. Lalrosang Hmar by the Assam Police and the National Investigation Agency (NIA) on July 31, 2025. Both individuals are brothers and residents of Moinathol village, Cachar District, Assam. They are fathers, daily wage earners, and individuals with no recorded history of criminal activity, striving diligently to support their families with dignity. Following over two years of enduring a brutal campaign of ethnic violence and systemic displacement perpetrated by the Meitei community, the state's continued reliance on selective and preferential approaches to justice constitutes a direct threat to the survival and well-being of our people.

The Hmar Women Association strongly condemns the deliberate targeting of our menfolk, even as Hmar, Kuki, and Zomi women and girls have been paraded naked, molested, raped, butchered, and murdered with impunity. It is particularly alarming that the NIA, instead of conducting a fair and thorough investigation, appears to have acted under pressure from the Manipur High Court, employing arbitrary and discriminatory tactics that further silence and criminalize our already marginalized community. This pattern of state-sanctioned injustice must end.

We are deeply appalled by the one-sided administration of justice amid an ongoing ethnic cleansing campaign that has resulted in persistent discrimination and gender-based violence against Kuki-Zomi-Hmar women and girls. The fundamental question we ask is this: When will justice be served to us? Is justice forbidden for the Kuki-Zomi-Hmar people? In light of the above, the Hmar Women Association demands the following:

1. Immediate and unconditional release of Thanglienlal Hmar and Lalrosang Hmar.

2. That the state and its agencies cease all coercive and militarized actions that disproportionately serve the interests of one community while oppressing another.

3. That the practice of arbitrary arrests and targeted repression be brought to an immediate halt.

The Hmar Women Association stands firm in its commitment to truth, justice, and the protection of human dignity. We urge all democratic institutions, civil society organizations, and the broader public to stand in solidarity with the Kuki-Zomi-Hmar people in their pursuit of justice and peace.

Department of Information and Publicity

Share: