Chassad, the historic Kuki village in Kamjong district that once sheltered General Bir Tikendrajit Singh, has been reduced to ashes again. On October 17, 2026, the village was reportedly attacked and systematically burnt down in an offensive attributed to Tangkhul-led NSCN-IM, NSCN-Eastern Flank, Khanuithot Khon and NVG. This is the second time the village has been torched, after the large-scale arson of March 16, 2020. The repeated targeting of Chassad is not just a humanitarian tragedy but an assault on a living chapter of Manipur’s freedom struggle.
The history of Chassad is inseparable from the Anglo-Manipur War of 1891. Bir Tikendrajit Singh, born on December 29, 1856, was the fourth son of Maharaja Chandrakriti Singh and Queen Chongtham Chanu Kouseswari Devi. Affectionately called Koireng, he was appointed Kotwal during his father’s reign and later Senapati, the General of the Manipur Army. After the death of Chandrakriti Singh on May 20, 1886, the succession led to deep palace intrigues. On September 22, 1890, in what is recorded as the Palace Revolt, Tikendrajit, supported by Princes Angousana and Zillanamba, overthrew Maharaja Surchandra Singh. Kulachandra Singh became Maharaja and Tikendrajit became Jubraj, the heir-apparent.
The British Government of India refused to accept the new arrangement. It demanded that Tikendrajit, whom it saw as the architect of the revolt, be banished from Manipur. Chief Commissioner of Assam J.W. Quinton was sent to announce the decision at a Durbar. He arrived in Imphal on March 22, 1891, with 400 Gurkhas under Colonel Skene. The Durbar failed as Tikendrajit refused to appear. On the night of March 24, 1891, British troops attacked the palace compound, particularly Tikendrajit’s residence, killing many innocents, including women and children who were watching a Ras Leela cultural program. The enraged Manipuri public retaliated, and five British officers including Quinton, Political Agent Frank Grimwood, Lt. Col. Simpson, Cossins and a bugler were killed.
That incident triggered the Anglo-Manipur War. On March 31, 1891, the British declared war and sent three columns from Kohima under Major General H. Collet, Silchar under Colonel R.H.F. Rennick, and Tamu in Burma under Brigadier General T. Graham. Tikendrajit led the Manipuri army. The Battle of Khongjom, where Major General Paona Brajabasi displayed legendary valour, became the symbol of Manipuri resistance. Despite stiff resistance, the British captured Kangla Palace on April 27, 1891. Major Maxwell took over as Chief Political Agent. Manipur lost its independence and became a princely state under British control, with minor Churachand Singh placed on the throne.
After the fall of Kangla on that same day, April 27, 1891, General Tikendrajit, King Kulachandra and a contingent of sepoys fled the capital. Their plan was to traverse through the Kuki-dominated eastern hills to reach Khagee Leipak, as China was known then, through the Shan State and Kabaw Valley to seek foreign military assistance against the British. On reaching Chassad village on April 27, 1891, Tikendrajit and his men were welcomed and given safe shelter by Tonglhu, the Chief of Chassad. Tonglhu, described in oral histories as a close ally, tried to arrange a trustworthy guide through the difficult terrain.
To secure the route, Tikendrajit had sent an advance party led by Subedar Moirang Tonjao with Rs. 3,000 to hire a guide. Tonjao, however, defected to the British camp at Tengnoupal and exposed Tikendrajit’s entire escape plan. The betrayal led to Tikendrajit going underground. He was eventually arrested on the evening of May 23, 1891. A special court under Lt. Col. John Mitchell tried Kulachandra, Tikendrajit and Thangal General from May 11. All were sentenced to death, but the death sentence of Maharaja Kulachandra was later commuted to transportation for life to Kalapani.
On August 13, 1891, at 5 pm at Pheida-pung, the Polo Ground in Imphal, Bir Tikendrajit Singh and Thangal General were publicly hanged in front of about eight thousand people, including white-clothed women brought to witness the execution to subjugate Manipuri defiance. Thangal General is said to have laughed aloud before the noose, in radiant defiance. The ground was later renamed Bir Tikendrajit Park after independence. Queen Victoria is believed to have expressed concern over hanging a prince, but the execution was carried out. Tikendrajit is remembered as the Lion of Manipur for refusing to kneel before empire.
That historic village of Chassad was first burnt down on March 16, 2020. The arson was preceded by a land dispute over jhum cultivation. On March 15, jhum fields prepared by Chassad villagers for the season were allegedly burnt by miscreants. Chassad villagers blamed neighbouring Sampui village inhabited by Tangkhul. The next morning, they blocked the road between Kamjong and Ukhrul. The blockade led to pelting of stones and assaults. Later that night, a large mob allegedly accompanied by NSCN-IM cadres attacked Chassad.
More than 150 to 200 houses were torched, according to official and Kuki Inpi reports. A newly constructed petrol pump at Saputhayang, a Shaktiman truck, over ten vehicles, motorcycles and a school’s records were reduced to ashes. A student told reporters his uniforms and textbooks were gone, another graduate said all his certificates were burnt and he was left with only farming. Section 144 was imposed, internet was suspended for three days. Chief Minister N. Biren Singh said the situation was under control and formed a three-member inquiry committee headed by Additional Chief Secretary Dr. Suhel Akhtar, with DIG Achin Haokip and Joint Secretary Luckyson Ngamsha Kashung, to submit a report in ten days.
Kuki Students’ Organisation and Kuki Inpi Manipur alleged the attack was pre-planned and that uniformed and non-uniformed NSCN-IM cadres led the mob, showing still images as evidence. They gave a 36-hour deadline to arrest the culprits and threatened a statewide general strike from midnight of March 20. NSCN-IM in a statement from Hebron on March 19, 2020, blamed Chassad villagers for provoking Tangkhuls of Sampui and Kamjong by burning a truck and petrol pump and organizing roadblocks. Meanwhile, Tangkhul Naga Zingsho Longphang and Sampui village authority demanded that Chassad’s resettlement not begin without their consent and that Chassad pay tribute acknowledging Sampui’s ownership, claims the colonial administration had earlier rejected in favour of Chassad’s right to cultivate without paying loushal.
The October 17, 2026 attack follows a similar pattern but with heavier weaponry. Local sources described heavy use of bombs and sophisticated ammunition. One person identified as Seikhohao Haokip was reportedly killed, while four others — Thangjahou Haokip, Chief of Chassad; St. Khailun Haokip and Seikhohou, both Village Authority Members; and Seipao Haokip, Chief of Phungtha (Kachouphung-Kuki) who was himself earlier displaced — were injured and taken to AR Hospital. Women and children were seen fleeing with blankets into surrounding forests, spending nights in the open.
Alongside the armed groups, serious allegations have surfaced against Phungyar MLA Leishiyo Keishing, accused by local sources of supplying bombs and ammunition for the attack. The allegation remains unverified and based on ground claims, but community leaders have demanded an impartial investigation by the Government of Manipur, immediate deployment of neutral central forces, relief for displaced families, and legal action including arrest if evidence is found.
The destruction of Chassad twice in six years raises a larger question. If a village that sheltered the Lion of Manipur when the Meitei Kingdom was fighting the British Empire can be burnt down twice without justice or protection, what does it say about preservation of Manipur’s shared history? Chassad’s story is not only Kuki history but Manipur’s anti-colonial history. Its protection and preservation must be seen as a responsibility of the state, beyond community lines.
Kuki leaders and residents have urged the Government of Manipur and the Centre to treat Chassad as a protected historical site, rebuild houses with permanent security, provide emergency relief, food, medicines and shelter, and ensure a transparent inquiry into both the 2020 and 2026 incidents. They have appealed that the village, which once gave safe shelter to Bir Tikendrajit Singh when he had nowhere else to go, should not be left to burn again while the state watches.
