Imphal: The Kuki Organisation for Human Rights Trust (KOHUR) has urged authorities to conduct an impartial review of Thangminlen Mate’s arrest by the National Investigation Agency (NIA), citing potential violations of constitutional safeguards and international human rights standards.
NIA officials arrested Mate, also known as Lenin Mate, on Sunday in Silchar, Assam.
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The agency linked him to the January 2024 attack on an Indian Reserve Battalion post in Moreh, located in Manipur’s Tengnoupal district near the Myanmar border.
In a statement, KOHUR’s Information and Publicity Department demanded Mate’s unconditional release. The group urged the public to view his arrest not as an isolated incident, but as part of a broader strategy aimed at institutionalizing discrimination and suppressing Kuki voices.
KOHUR strongly criticized what it described as the arbitrary arrest and unlawful detention of Mate, asserting that the action violated his fundamental right to life and personal liberty under Article 21 of the Indian Constitution.
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According to KOHUR, the NIA’s move reflects a pattern of targeted coercion and the criminalization of legitimate Kuki civil society leaders under the guise of legal procedures.
The organization warned that such actions abuse legal power to intimidate, delegitimize, and silence community representatives operating within the bounds of the law.
KOHUR also questioned the authorities’ inaction toward Arambai Tenggol, a group whose leader, Korounganba, was reportedly named in the NIA’s investigation into ethnic violence in Manipur. The organization accused officials of selectively enforcing the law and turning a blind eye to more serious threats.