MNS: Son of Limhel Haokip, Tintong Haokip was born on 1872 at Lamlap village,Tamenglong District of Manipur. When he was only 25 years old he established a village called Laijang ( now re- named as Tamenglong Town) and became a great chief of the region.
The imposition of the colonial rule and forced raise of labour corps by the then British Government forced Tintong Haokip and Kukis to take up arms in the defence of their rights and land.
In the Kukis chiefs Meeting at Jampi village (March 1917) Tintong was appointed as Commander in chief and Enjakhup Kholhou Deputy Commander of the Kuki army.
Tintong and Enjakhup raised and trained Kuki sepoys in different villages of Manipur,Nagaland and Assam to fight against the mighty British by using their self made Muzzle loading gun and laying different deadly traps in the jungles of Manipur during 1917-1919.
A Meitei man Chinga kham Sanachauba Singh and his followers were collaborator with the Kukis in burning down the the Ithai forest station in 21st December 1917.
The war between Kukis and British was so intense that Robert reid,the then Governor of Assam termed it as”the most serious event in the history of Manipur”.
According to L.W Shakespears 86 Kuki villages were burnt down,112 villages surrendered and 15 villages were abandoned and
altogether 1570 guns were captured from the Kukis of Manipur and
Burma.On the British side 80 sepoys,2 British officers and 28 Assam Rifles were killed by the Kuki sepoys.And 18 Government rest houses were also burnt down by the Kukis.About 478 persons died from different injuries and infections. Tintong’s own village Laijang was also burnt down and 28 of his villager and sepoys killed by the British troop in the battle of Laijang.
Tintong was later captured and imprisoned in Imphal, Kohima and Sadiya(Assam) jails by the British Government.
On his released from Sadiya jail Tintong settled at a village
called Saioh which is about 35 Kms from Imphal in the Imphal- Jiibam road.There he died in the year 1939 and was buried in simple Kuki Traditional way.
A village named after him”Tintong Laijang” has been established at Imphal-Jiribam Road and his Grandson Doumang Haokip took chiefship of the village.
Recently an autonomous District Council(ADC) Constituency has been also opened after the village which is called “Tintong Laijang constituency” in the, Senapati Dristict of Manipur.
Read more / Original news source: http://manipur-mail.com/abstract-of-the-book-tintong-haokip-laijangpa-by-vumkhoneh-haokip/
