The appalling incident of 22 September 2021, at Tamenglong, Manipur will be remembered as a Black day in the history of the Zeliangrong people. It is most unfortunate that such heinous and senseless crime was carried out to silence the voice of the critic in complete violation of the fundamental rights by suspected NSCN-IM miscreants. The Zeliangrong union has submitted a memorandum to Prime minister Government of India on the matter of broad daylight abduction and brutal murder of shri Athuan Abonmai.
On September 22, 2021, morning, the Advisor and former President of Zeliangrong Baudi (Assam, Manipur, Nagaland) Shri Athuan Abonmai who hailed from Machengluang, Lamlaba, Tamenglong district, Manipur, was abducted in broad daylight from a public meeting of the ‘Go to Hills 2.0’ program of the Government of Manipur held at Tamenglong district headquarter with much fanfare in the presence of Hon’ble Chief Minister Shri N Biren Singh and other dignitaries with tight security. Soon after the abduction at 11:30 AM, a complaint was submitted by Arai Abonmai son of late Athuan Abonmai for registering FIR at Lamphel Police Station, and in the said complaint it is stated that his father (Shri Athuan Abonmai) has been abducted by the insurgency group NSCN (IM). Later that day the dead body of the victim was discovered at the place near Pallong village, Tamei Sub-division. Eventually, video footages of the act of abduction began to surface and one could see security personnel that included Manipur Police and Assam Rifles who were deployed to secure the ‘Go to Hills 2.0’ event stood as mute spectators and failed to thwart the abduction leading to the cold-blooded murder of Shri Athuan Abonmai by a handful of miscreants. In remonstration against the gruesome killing various civil organizations had taken out protest rallies, bandh, and blockade, organized dharnas, hartals, etc. in Manipur state and other Zeliangrong inhabited areas but the State Government has not been conclusive in this case yet.
As an act of condemnation and to voice their solidarity against such heinous crime, the Zeliangrong Students’ Union, Delhi (ZSUD), Zeliangrong Welfare Association, Delhi (ZWAD) spearheaded the solidarity movement by organizing a Candlelight vigil on 05th October 2021 at New Delhi, as a mark of condemnation the horrendous. Hundreds of people from different walks of life, human rights groups, media fraternities, etc. participated in the Candlelight vigil demanding justice of Athuan Abonmai and earnestly beseech the Hon’ble Prime Minister of India, to kindly intervene on the matter and instruct the law investigating agencies to bring justice by booking the culprits with befitting punishment as per the established law of the land.
Manipur Chief minister N Biren Singh on his visit to Delhi met home minister Amit Shah and requested to hand over the case to NIA team as Manipur state don't have enough power force to handle such case because some of the culprit are from outside the state. CM had affirm that Union Home Minister Amit Shah has assured to initiate all that are needful to deliver justice to Athuan Abonmai. Following the plea of the State Government, the case has been handed over to the National Investigation Agency (NIA) by the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA). Hopefully the culprit will be book and justice will be deliver to late Athuan Abonmai and his family at the earliest.