In a first, Thadou Inpi talks peace with CSOs in Imphal
Source: The Sangai Express

Imphal, August 06 2025: In a significant step towards reconciliation and peacebuilding in Manipur, a 16-member delegation from Thadou Inpi Manipur, the apex body representing the Thadou community, arrived in Imphal and held talks with various civil society organisations (CSOs) and student bodies.

This is the first visit by a Thadou Inpi delegation to Imphal since the outbreak of ethnic unrest in the State in 2023, marking a crucial move towards fostering dialogue and mutual understanding among communities.

Several prominent CSOs such as the Coordinating Committee on Manipur Integrity (COCOMI), All Manipur United Clubs' Organisation (AMUCO), Federation of civil society organisation (FOCS), Arambai Tenggol and women's groups took part in the meeting.

In a first, Thadou Inpi talks peace with CSOs in Imphal

Also present were leading student organisations including Democratic Students' Alliance of Manipur (DESAM), Kangleipak Students' Association (KSA), Students' Union of Kangleipak (SUK), and Apunba Ireipakki Maheiroi Sinpanglup (AIMS) among others.

Though details of what were discussed at the meeting could not be ascertained, the primary agenda of the meeting is believed to center on promoting communal harmony and exploring pathways to restore lasting peace in the conflict-hit State.

Speaking briefly during the ongoing dialogue, Waikhom Munindrajit Mangang, a leader from Arambai Tenggol, said that the central theme of the discussion revolved around lasting peace, reconciliation, and mutual understanding among communities.

The meeting was a closed door affair and CSO leaders who came out after the meeting declined to say anything in finer details.

On the other hand, the Thadou Inpi Manipur (TIM) did issue a statement later in the evening asserting that Kuki is not an ethnic identity, but rather a political ideology.

TIM said that the Thadou tribe, who knowingly or in a majority of cases unknowingly, promote the 'flawed' Kuki ideology has a harmful effect on them and this issue must be addressed thoughtfully, lawfully and patiently for the greater good of Manipur.

Saying that the meeting held today is a defining moment in the history of Manipur, TIM said that the path to lasting peace in Manipur begins with clarity of identity, rejection of extremism and a renewed commitment to coexistence.

TIM further said that a major source of confusion between the Thadou tribe and those identifying as Kuki tribes arises from the similarities in attire and cultural expression.

Continuing that Thadou tribe, however, is a distinct identity while the Kuki nomenclature as used today has become a politicised and ideological label, it added that there is no community known as Kuki indigenous to Manipur, both historically and culturally.

The term Kuki has foreign origins, TIM said and asserted that those who identify themselves as Kukis are suspected illegal immigrants having settled in Manipur in recent decades and they often push a separatist and extremist ideology.

Religious affiliations have also played a significant role in misclassifying many members of Thadou tribe as Kuki, creating further confusion and undermining the true identity of the Thadou people, it said.

"This has become a threat not only to the Thadou tribe but also to the Meitei, Meitei-Pangal, other tribal communities and Manipur's unity as a whole," TIM said and added that people must not mistake external appearances for identity.

TIM reasoned that wearing similar attire does not equate to being the same people, stating that the appropriation of Thadou culture by Kuki identifying groups is misleading and harmful.

(With inputs from Agency) .