On June 10, Joshua Lalrinsan left his home in the wee hours of the morning, setting out to join a group of volunteers to defend their community amid the ethnic clashes in Manipur. Just one month later, on the afternoon of July 16, he, and two of his friends, Lallungawi Hmar and Lalbikkung Hmar were shot to death by the Assam Police.
One was from Pherzawl district in Manipur while the other two were from Cachar District in Assam. The Assam police including Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma quickly took to X to brand the three dead as militants, writing, “In an early morning operation, @cacharpolice killed 3 Hmar militants from Assam and neighbouring Manipur. Police also seized 2 AK rifles, 1 other rifle and 1 pistol.”
News reports soon flooded with reports of the incident. The Hindu reported, “Three extremists killed in Assam encounter,” NDTV wrote in its headline, “After 3 Hmar Insurgents Killed In Assam, Warning Over “Fake Information” On Social Media: Sources, the Economic Times wrote, “Three Hmar militants, three cops killed in Assam encounter,” however three cops mentioned were only injured. The reports claimed that the district police said the “Hmar extremists” were engaged in drug trafficking. However, statements from at least five Hmar and Kuki organizations have vehemently opposed these statements and accused the police of extra-judicial killings.
Jiribam district, bordering Assam, and just one hour from Cachar district, has been one of the latest districts to be impacted by the ethnic tensions in Manipur which started on May 3, 2023. The district bordering Assam’s Cachar district is around 220 kilometres from Imphal and remained relatively peaceful amidst the conflict until June 2024. On the evening of June 6, 2024, the body of 59-year-old farmer Soibam Saratkumar Singh was found around 12 km from the Jiribam police station. He had been missing for two weeks.
The death of the farmer led to tensions between the tribal and Meitei communities with over 70 houses torched down by miscreants. Kuki-Zo CSOs reported that approximately 45 homes belonging to Kuki-Zo and Hmar individuals were allegedly set ablaze. They also alleged that a 40-year-old resident of Vengnuam, L. Lallianmuang, was abducted by individuals believed to be associated with the armed radical group Arambai Tenggol in front of his children, on June 6, 2024. According to a report by the Hindu, Meitei villages in the area allegedly started getting messages that they were surrounded by militants. They were evacuated to an IDP camp and later came to know that their houses were burnt down. As the violence ensued, over 2000 people fled their homes and sought shelter in Assam.
“Joshua was a farmer, and he was the only one we could rely on as we no longer have a father,” Rosellyn, Joshua’s younger sister, told EastMojo. Joshua lived with his divorced sister, her 12-year-old son and his 74-year-old mother. His death had impacted his mother the most, “She has not stopped crying, she is crying as we speak,” she said. The 35-year-old, a divorcee, has a ten-year-old son.
“Just before he left to volunteer, I was with my mother, and he told us he would come back and take care of us,” she said. She mentioned how he often talked of the plight of the tribal communities and that the situation broke his heart. This was the first time he had stepped out as a “volunteer.”
The ethnic conflict in Manipur has led many youth who call themselves “volunteers” to take up arms to protect their villages, as they believe the forces are unable to protect them due to the high number of deaths and casualties.
Rosellyn described her brother as a quiet man who kept to himself but religiously attended church. She also mentioned how he loved football, often engaging in the sport in his free time and watching his favourite clubs play on the TV.
What made it worse for the family was having to watch the whole ordeal on their mobile phones through videos which have now gone viral on social media, “We are afraid to turn on our mobile data, we cannot watch the videos anymore. To watch your brother being dragged into the jungle and abused is very difficult. I do not want to see it anymore,” she said.
“We not only have to deal with the death of our brother but also have to see his name being spread with lies,” she added as she wept silently over the phone.
Three videos of the ordeal have been shared widely in WhatsApp groups. In the first video, as the person capturing the video starts recording, he says, ‘Video start’ while two policemen ask the three to come out of an auto-rickshaw. The three men stand silently as the police check their bags, when a pistol is found in one of the bags, the police shout “Pistol, Pistol, Firing Karo(start firing),” followed by shouts of “Video Kar(take videos).” The police advise the cameraman to take a video, saying, “Video Kar,” three times. Two of the three stand silently, while one seems to have escaped into the jungle with a policeman running after him.
In another video, Joseph can be seen with his hands tied behind him, with a group of policemen walking through the jungles while seemingly looking for the other two. In the third video, Joseph, down on his knees, is asked to take out his armoury.
The police have claimed that there was an ambush in the nearby jungle, prompting the police to fire and kill the alleged “militants.” Their bodies are in Silchar Medical College and Hospital for further investigation.
Siamthang, the brother of Lallungawi Hmar, one of the three men who were killed by the Assam Police said, “My brother was a 21-year-old like any other. He liked to listen to love songs on his mobile and liked hanging out with his friends, he had a lot of friends.”
Lallungawi who studied only till grade eight was a daily labourer, “He lived with his father and mother and four siblings and helped them support the family by engaging in whatever daily work he could find,” Siamthang added.
The police made a statement on the same day, that on receiving credible information about suspected militants on Krishnapur Road, a team rushed to the location and apprehended three individuals armed with an AK-47 rifle, a single-barrel rifle, a pistol, and live ammunition. During interrogation, they said the suspects revealed that more militants were hiding in Bhuban Hills with a large cache of arms.
According to the statement, a subsequent police operation in the area led to a heavy exchange of fire, resulting in the deaths of the three apprehended militants after they sustained grievous injuries. They alleged that six to seven militants managed to escape into the dense forest and the area was searched, yielding another AK assault rifle and live ammunition. Three police personnel were injured and admitted to SMCH, Silchar.
Regarding the death of the three Hmar men, the police statement said, “The apprehended militants wearing bulletproof jackets and helmets sustained grievous injuries in their persons and immediately shifted to Sonai PHC, Sonai for treatment. Later on, they were referred to the SMCH, Silchar wherein the attending doctor declared death.” However, in all three videos, the three men who were captured are not seen to be wearing any form of bulletproof jacket. Pictures of their dead bodies on the hospital floor, however, can be seen covered with bulletproof jackets.
In a statement on July 17, 2024, Hmar Inpui (Apex Body of Hmar Tribes) General headquarters said, “Hmar Inpui is shocked and appalled to learn about the Assam Police whimsical-orchestrated extra-judicial killings of three Hmars.” They also stated that the three were shot cold-blooded before the lapse of twenty-four hours after their arrest, terming it as a gross human rights violation and “state-sponsored terrorism.”
They argued that the nation functions on the principle of ‘presumption of innocence’ till proven guilty, alleging that the arrested individuals were not given a chance of a fair trial. They demanded an independent magisterial inquiry, disciplinary action against the policemen, and compensation for the next of kin of the victims.
The Kuki Students Organisation said they condemn the alleged brutal assassination of the three individuals saying “the circumstances surrounding their deaths reportedly differ from the official account as depicted in a video circulating on social media.” They called for the intervention of the National Commission for Human Rights.
The Hmar Students Association also echoed the sentiments saying, “They were arbitrarily detained, taken to an undisclosed location, and brutally shot dead under circumstances that defy all principles of justice and human rights. The Assam Police’s claim of an encounter is riddled with inconsistencies and contradicted by compelling video evidence, which exposes the fabricated nature of their account. Such acts of extrajudicial killings not only undermine the sanctity of human life but also erode the trust in our law enforcement agencies.”
The Manipur Tribals Forum, Delhi in their statement explained why they believe it is a staged encounter saying, “The victims who were wearing shorts and T-shirts when apprehended, were shown in military outfits when their lifeless bodies were displayed. This clear manipulation of facts points to a staged encounter…”
On being contacted, Cachar Superintendent of Police Numal Mahatta told EastMojo over the phone on Thursday evening that the three individuals were indeed militants. “AK rifles and ammunition were recovered from them. Normal or innocent people don’t roam around with AK rifles,” SP Mahatta said dismissing claims by various organisations that the suspected militants were innocent people.
However, a source who wished to remain anonymous told EastMojo that many youths have taken to arms to protect their villages after ethnic clashes broke out in Manipur.
Deccan Herald reported on May 5, 2025, that in Manipur’s Koutruk village, armed youngsters patrolled daily to protect residents from the ongoing Meitei-Kuki conflict. These volunteers, in their late 20s and early 30s, took up this responsibility due to perceived inadequate protection from security forces. Trained in basic combat tactics, they were committed to safeguarding their community from the ethnic violence that had caused numerous deaths, injuries, and displacements.