Appeals for calm, peace and justice
- November 16th, 2024 : Thadou Students' Association (TSA) -

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We appeal for calm and peace in the wake of fresh escalating violence in Manipur since the brutal murder of an innocent woman during the attack on Zairawn village, Jiribam district, on November 7, which was followed by November 9 incident of the killing of a woman at Saitol, an adjoining area of Churachandpur and Bishnupur districts. We condemned both the horrible violent incidents that took the lives of the two helpless, innocent women.

On November 11, eleven men were shot dead by personnel of Central Reserved Police Force (CRPF) in a contested firing incident in Borobekra area in Jiribam district. On the same day 6 IDPs, including 3 women and 3 young children, went missing, believed to be taken hostage. The dead bodies of one woman and two children out of the 6 missing persons were found near the remote village of Jirimukh in Jiribam district on November 15 evening. The bodies of the rest of them were reportedly recovered from Barak River on November 16.

All lives matter, and we condemn all the violent incidents and express our profound sympathy and condolences to the bereaved families. Thadous, being the most affected community in the current Manipur violence, advocate for peace and non-violent resolutions.

While the Ministry of Home Affairs has taken prompt steps following the outbreak of the fresh violence, such as handing over of the cases to NIA and immediate reimposition of AFSPA in 6 police stations in 5 districts, we have serious concerns over the prevailing situation. We urge the Government of India to take the situation seriously and take further urgent actions to prevent further escalation, to effectively end this cycle of violence once and for all, and to bring justice and lasting peace in the state.

We demand immediate identification and arrest of the perpetrators in the killing of Zosangkim and Sonia Devi. We also demand a high-level impartial inquiry into the incident leading to the death of 11 Hmar men and 6 Meitei persons including women and children and take appropriate actions against the offenders as per law.

Statement: “Thadou is a distinct ethnic group of people. Thadou is not Kuki, or underneath Kuki, or part of Kuki, but a separate, independent entity from Kuki. Any organisation that incorporates “Thadou” but espouses Kuki and mis- portrays Thadou as Kuki or a part of Kuki is illegitimate and does not represent Thadou people and interest” – Thadou Convention Declaration - 2024.

Issued by:
(Vicky Thadou)
Spokesperson, TSA-GHQ