Mark Haokip is the self-styled president of an outfit PDRK- Police

Last Updated on February 17, 2023 by SPN Editor

Inspector general of police, Zone-I Themthing Ngasangva on Tuesday announced that an investigation has revealed that Mark Thangmang Haokip, son of Limkhosel Haokip is a self-styled president of an outfit called, ‘Government of the People’s Democratic Republic of Kukiland’ which was formed to establish an independent Kuki Nation.

Haokip was allegedly involved in a conspiracy “for secession from India and to wage or attempt to wage war, or abetting waging of war against the Government of India”, the police said. Subsequently, he was re-arrested on Monday and remanded to police custody for five days.

It was found that the members of the so-called ‘Government of the People’s Democratic Republic of KukiLand’ had been kept concealed with the intent to facilitate designs to wage war under the garb of Human Rights group, IGP said.

Themthing told the media at the conference hall of the superintendent of police, Imphal West, Babupara that the outfit was established in 2019 with an aim for an ‘Independent Kuki country’. Based on the facts, Mark was re-arrested at around 6.40 pm on Monday, said the senior officer.

He said that the police have established that Mark is a self-styled president of the outfit from a reliable source. On detailed inquiry, it was also established that the outfit has a secretary, secretary of political affairs and press secretary, which Mark confessed, and it is clearly established from their press releases and their website domain as well, he added.

He further said a team of Manipur police brought Mark T Haokip back to Imphal from Delhi on Friday. During the time he was arrested from Delhi, the police personnel seized important incriminating documents including his diary which contains sensitive materials, he said. Two pen drives, a laptop, a round seal for the International Human Right Association (IHRA), a line seal of the general secretary, IHRA, a line seal of director IHRA Indo Myanmar and Indo-Bangladesh and others from his possession were also seized from his possession. The seized items have been sent for forensic examination, said Themthing.

The outfit has been continuously waging propaganda through various social media platforms and actively promoting enmity between different groups on grounds of race, religion, language and doing acts prejudicial to maintenance of harmony of the people of the state through its propaganda machinery, he said.

The outfit owns and uses a website to spread its propaganda, and raise funds for the organisational activities besides Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and others to spread their hidden agenda, he added.

He continued that the members of the outfit themselves have been spreading false propaganda, leading to tense situations on many occasions recently. The investigation is in full swing to unearth the whole machinery of the outfit called the ‘Government of the People’s Democratic Republic of Kukiland’, he said.

Meanwhile, Mark Haokip was produced before the court on Tuesday by the police with a prayer for 10-day police custody. During the hearing, an additional public prosecutor for the state submitted that the accused during his preliminary interrogation has confessed that he is a self-styled president of the said outfit along with other members.

Moreover, it is also established that the website by the domain name, www.kukigovt.com is owned by the present accused with the purpose to propagate their ideas of independent Kuki Nation.

It was submitted that on October 23, 2019, a copy of the press release signed by the accused and the three other members in their letterhead, ‘Government of the People’s Democratic Republic of Kukiland’ was seized, and the press release clearly stated that ‘Neighboring countries must respect the Sovereign Rights of the Kukis, thereby implying that there exist the notion of a sovereign Kukiland.

It was further submitted that the accused admitted that he has raised funds to finance his organisation by openly uploading the account number in the said website. Thus, there exists prima facie evidence of the accused conspiring criminally for the purpose of waging or attempting to wage or abet wage of war against the government of India.

The court stated that some of the allegations made against the accused seemed to be of serious nature and the seized articles including the extract from the alleged website seem to be quite incriminating. Thus, in the interest of fair justice, the court remanded the accused person for a period of five days for a smooth investigation.

Mark Thangmang Haokip was arrested from Kishangarh, New Delhi on May 24 by a team of Imphal police station in connection with three different cases registered against him for making defamatory and derogatory statements on social media, both in Facebook and Twitter, including against freedom fighter Padma Bhushan awardee Rani Gaidinliu.