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Rebuild And Protect, Manipur Meitei And Thadou Groups Call For Unity, Slam Kuki Supremacists

Rebuild And Protect, Manipur Meitei And Thadou Groups Call For Unity, Slam Kuki Supremacists

Imphal, Manipur – Might 2, 2025 – In a big step towards resolving Manipur’s ongoing ethnic strife, representatives of the Meitei and Thadou communities have issued a joint name for unity, peace, and the preservation of the state’s multi-ethnic id. The teams, assembly beneath the aegis of organizations just like the Meitei Alliance, Thadou Inpi Manipur, and Meitei Heritage Society, condemned what they time period “Kuki supremacist” agendas and demanded pressing coverage reforms, together with the implementation of the Nationwide Register of Residents (NRC) and the elimination of the “Any Kuki Tribes” (AKT) designation from the Scheduled Tribes (ST) record.

The joint assertion, launched following a discourse titled “Ethnic Identification and Battle in Manipur” held on April 10, 2025, on the India Worldwide Centre in New Delhi, marks a uncommon alignment between the Meitei, who dominate the Imphal Valley, and the Thadou, a significant indigenous tribe typically misclassified beneath the Kuki umbrella. The teams reaffirmed a previous understanding from March 7, 2025, emphasizing peaceable coexistence and rejecting separatist narratives that threaten Manipur’s territorial integrity.

Key Calls for and Resolutions

The ten-point joint decision outlined a number of important calls for:

  • Preservation of Manipur’s Unity: Each communities pledged to safeguard Manipur as a cohesive, multi-ethnic society, condemning any efforts to fragment the state.
  • Implementation of NRC: The teams known as for the pressing adoption of the Nationwide Register of Residents to determine unlawful immigrants and restore demographic stability, citing issues over unchecked migration throughout Manipur’s porous border with Myanmar.
  • Elimination of “Any Kuki Tribes” from ST Checklist: The Meitei and Thadou demanded the deletion of the AKT class, added in 2003, which they argue permits unlawful immigrants to falsely declare tribal standing and fuels demographic engineering. They assert that “Kuki” just isn’t an ethnic id however a colonial assemble exploited by supremacist teams.
  • Termination of Suspension of Operations (SoO) Settlement: The teams urged the quick finish to the SoO settlement with armed Kuki teams, alleging its misuse to destabilize the area.
  • Rehabilitation of Displaced Individuals: They advocated for the protected return and rehabilitation of internally displaced individuals (IDPs), guaranteeing safety and compensation for these affected by the violence since Might 2023.

Condemnation of Kuki Supremacists

The Meitei and Thadou teams sharply criticized what they describe as “Kuki supremacist” forces, accusing them of suppressing Thadou id and perpetuating violence. The Thadou Inpi Manipur, led by figures like T. Michael Lamjathang Haokip, has lengthy maintained that the Thadou are a definite tribe with their very own language, tradition, and historical past, separate from the Kuki classification. They argue that Kuki militant teams, together with these beneath the SoO settlement, have threatened Thadou leaders and cultural occasions, such because the Hun-Thadou competition in Guwahati, to implement a monolithic Kuki id.

Haokip, whose dwelling was vandalized and set ablaze 3 times since Might 2023, has been a vocal critic of Kuki militant actions, alleging they aim Thadou leaders to silence dissent. “Kuki supremacists have overrun us, taken management over areas the place we stay,” he acknowledged, emphasizing that the Thadou search peace, not political division.

Context of Manipur’s Ethnic Battle

Manipur has been gripped by ethnic violence since Might 3, 2023, primarily between the valley-dominant Meitei and hill-dwelling Kuki-Zo communities, leading to over 250 deaths and the displacement of greater than 50,000 folks. The battle, sparked by a Tribal Solidarity March opposing Meitei calls for for ST standing, has deepened divisions, with Kuki teams pushing for a separate administration or “Kukiland.” The Thadou, regardless of being one of many largest STs in Manipur with a inhabitants of two.16 lakh (2011 Census), have confronted marginalization on this polarized panorama, typically caught between Meitei and Kuki narratives.

The Meitei-Thadou alliance rejects the Kuki demand for separation, viewing it as a risk to Manipur’s unity. In addition they spotlight the Centre’s latest imposition of President’s Rule on February 13, 2025, and measures like guaranteeing free motion on roads as steps towards normalcy, although clashes on March 8, 2025, underscored ongoing tensions.

Challenges and Opposition

The unity initiative has confronted resistance. Kuki-Zo organizations, together with the Indigenous Tribal Leaders’ Discussion board (ITLF) and Committee on Tribal Unity (CoTU), have dismissed the Thadou Inpi Manipur as unrepresentative, accusing it of sowing division amongst tribes. The Kuki College students’ Organisation (Delhi & NCR) opposed the April 10 assembly, claiming it undermines Kuki-Zo aspirations. Moreover, the Thadou Inpi Common Headquarters, aligned with the Kuki-Zo Council, declared the formation of Thadou Inpi Manipur “invalid” in November 2024.

Kuki teams preserve that their demand for a separate administration stems from many years of discrimination and unequal useful resource distribution, a declare the Meitei and Thadou alliance disputes as a pretext for separatism. The United Kuki Nationwide Military (UKNA), a non-SoO militant group, reportedly threatened to disrupt the Meitei-Thadou assembly in March 2025, highlighting the risky setting.

A Path Ahead?

The Meitei-Thadou collaboration has garnered help from some civil society teams and Manipur’s former Chief Minister N. Biren Singh, who resigned in February 2025. Posts on X mirror optimism, with customers like @nirendev1 calling it a “huge achievement for the reason for peace.” Nevertheless, the initiative’s success hinges on broader group buy-in and the Centre’s skill to deal with competing calls for with out escalating tensions.

As Manipur approaches the second anniversary of its ethnic disaster, the Meitei-Thadou joint assertion indicators a possible shift towards indigenous unity. But, with deep-seated grievances and armed teams nonetheless energetic, the street to lasting peace stays fraught. The decision for NRC and ST record revisions, whereas geared toward defending indigenous rights, dangers additional polarizing communities if not dealt with inclusively. For now, the Meitei and Thadou teams are urging all stakeholders to prioritize dialogue and mutual respect to rebuild and shield Manipur’s various cloth.

Sources: Organiser, The Hindu, NDTV, Indian Specific