TCI condemns Kuki diktats, persecution against Thadou Hun festival, demands government intervention
- March 27, 2025 :: Thadou Community International -

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It has come to our attention that the Kuki Inpi Assam (KIA) has issued an official diktat, dated March 18, 2025, on its letterhead to forbid the Thadous’ celebration of Hun – Thadou Cultural Festival organised to be held at Guwahati on April 4, 2025. Following this, on the 25th March, another diktat was issued by so-called Kuki SoO Groups of Assam, consisting of the Kuki Revolutionary Army (KRA), United Kuki Defence Army (UKDA) and the Kuki Liberation Army (KLA) on their official letterhead signed by the general secretary of each group, ordering Thadous of Assam not to attend the Thadou Hun festival and for the organiser to cancel the event, threatening that they would award severe punishments to those failing to comply with the diktats. In this connection, Thadou leaders have also been threatened and summoned personally by the Kuki SoO groups.

We condemn this act of terrorism against Thadou in the strongest terms. This unconstitutional and illegal diktat by the KIA and the three Kuki armed groups is not only a serious violation of the human rights of the Thadou people, but also a direct assault on India, the Constitution and democracy.

We, the Thadou Community International (TCI), strongly reject and condemn this undue Kuki interference in Thadou cultural affairs. This is just another example of the evil and danger of Kuki supremacist agenda against Thadou people and the broader Indian nation as a whole. Thadous don’t need Kuki permission to run our affairs. Thadous celebrating our own cultural festival is none of Kuki's business. Thadou organisations have never interfered in Kuki internal affairs. We believe in peaceful co-existence in the spirit of mutual respect and understanding.

We take strong exception to the KIA’s statement where it says “Since national war in 2023, there is a standing order not to organize any festival other than the Assam government-recognized ‘Kuki Chavang Kut’ festival, which was also celebrated only in name due to the national war.” KIA must clarify what it means by ‘national war’ and which nation is at war with which nation, and if it considers Kuki as a separate nation with a constitution separate to India.

The KIA’s claim that Hun Festival is against Christianity is a deliberate attempt to mislead the people and to malign Thadou identity and Christianity itself. With almost all of the Thadou population professing Christianity, Thadous celebrating their cultural festival blended with Christianity cannot be termed as against Christianity. In fact, this year’s Hun theme ‘A celebration of identity; A journey of peace’ is absolutely in sync with the teaching of peace by Jesus Christ, Prince of Peace.

Many Christian communities of India and other parts of the world, including Kukis, celebrate a cultural festival that has its origin to pre-Christian tradition, but now modified to suit Christianity while keeping the culture and traditions alive, like the Thadou Hun festival, which includes invocations and prayers by Christian pastors and presentation of Christian songs and messages, apart from the traditional, cultural and entertainment items.

We also take strong exception to the KIA statement “In the state of Assam, KIA has banned any separate identity that contests/threatens Kuki identity and we will continue to fight tooth and nail any such identity.” We would like to question what authority and rights does the KIA have to ban Thadou identity in Assam, where indigenous Thadou has long history, with the Assam government-established Thadou institution called ‘Thadou Mauzadar’ been in existence since 1886 AD till now, and Thadou being one of the scheduled tribes of Assam. ‘Hun – Thadou Cultural Festival’, as the name explains itself, is a cultural festival of Thadou, not of Kuki.

How can the Thadou people celebrating their own cultural festival be a threat to Kuki identity? Is this because Kuki has no distinct cultural, ethnic identity of its own? No Kuki organization, including the KIA and Kuki SoO groups, or any other organisations or groups have the right to claim authority over Thadou and to dictate the lives of Thadou people and Thadou cultural practices.

Making direct threats and intimidation to the Thadou population, the KIA statement says “Anyone who ignores and fails to comply with this diktat shall be responsible for any action taken against them for their failure to comply with this diktat.” This makes it sound like the KIA is a banned, outlawed terrorist organisation, or one that deserves to be. The KIA must clarify what authority they have over Thadou community that entitle them to take punitive action against Thadou people merely for celebrating their God-given, constitution-protected cultural festival.

This forceful, aggressive show of Kuki supremacy and hegemony over Thadou is a grim, traumatic flashback of the tragic Kuki aggression on Thadou people in Assam during the 1992-93, that was carried out by the well-armed Manipur-based Kuki militant group called the Chin Kuki Resistance Force (CKRF) (later renamed Kuki Liberation Army) in a campaign to forcibly change the All India Radio Thadou program in Haflong & Diphu to Kuki program. The aggression resulted in the loss of many lives, destruction of homes, and displacement of the Thadou population in Assam. This was documented in the Diphu Times, July 18, 1993, under the article “Genesis of Kuki-Thadou Conflicts” by Janglam Kipgen, Secretary, Thadou Tribe Council, India.

There have been countless instances of Kuki organisations persecuting Thadou and suppressing Thadou identity and activities, with incidents of attacks, threats, and even viral videos targeting Thadou and the community members. These latest incidents of issuing threats and diktats by Assam-based Kuki organisations against Thadou is not an isolated case but part of the sustained Kuki radical ideology and the ongoing concerted, active Kuki campaign to suppress, control and annihilate Thadou under the pretext of Meitei-Kuki conflict.

Whereas there is not even one armed militant organisation in the name of Thadou, there are many armed Kuki militant groups. Mainly due to this Thadous have long been silenced victims of Kuki supremacy and oppression as they have been overpowered by Kuki in the absence of intervention by government authorities and other communities.

The Kuki diktats against Thadou are unlawful and unconstitutional as they violate: Article 19 – Freedom of speech, cultural expression, and association; Article 25 – Freedom of religion and faith & Article 29 – Protection of cultural and linguistic identity of minorities.

It is clear that the Kuki armed militant groups are making all out efforts to unlawfully enforce the illegal diktats. How could these Kuki civil organisation and Kuki militant groups under suspension of operation agreement with the government openly carry on their illegal activities of suppressing, oppressing and persecuting Thadou people, the law-abiding, peace-loving citizens of India? While we denounce the gun culture, it is lamentable that these Kuki SoO groups are engaging in activities in breach of the SoO ground rules.

We wish to reiterate that Thadou is a distinct ethnic group of people and that Thadou is not Kuki, or underneath Kuki, or part of Kuki, but a separate, independent entity from Kuki. Thadou is a distinct ethnic group with its own history, language, custom, culture, and traditions, and duly recognised by Government of India as a distinct scheduled tribe in several states in India. This statement on Thadou identity was formally declared at the Thadou Convention 2024 and it remains non-negotiable.

Given the serious nature of the historical and ongoing gross violation of the human rights of Thadou people, and in the wake of the current diktats by Kuki Inpi Assam and Kuki SoO Groups of Assam, we demand that:

1. Kuki Inpi Assam and Kuki SoO Groups of Assam immediately retract their diktats/illegal orders against Thadou people celebrating the Thadou Hun festival, and respectfully cease all forms of interference in Thadou affairs.

2. Immediate appropriate actions according to the law of the land be taken by government authorities against the said Kuki organisations to allow Thadou community of Assam to freely celebrate their cultural festival without fear of any harm by anyone.

3. The recognition of the KIA may also be revoked, and the terms and conditions of the SoO agreement of the three-armed Kuki militant groups be reviewed in order to rein in their unlawful activities. It is a clear violation of SoO ground rules on part of the Kuki militant groups.

We encourage all Thadou organizations and members of Thadou community to stand united in rejecting and pushing back the anti-Thadou agenda and any attempt to subsume Thadou identity, but to bravely stand up for our rights to live freely and peacefully as a people with a distinct identity, under protection by the Constitution of India. The Hun – Thadou Cultural Festival 2025 should proceed as planned as it is the right of the Thadou people to freely celebrate our heritage without external coercion and control.

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:
Thadou Community International