TIM disavows TTC claim on 'Tiger Road' row
Source: Chronicle News Service

Imphal, July 19 2025: Thadou Inpi Manipur (TIM), the apex body representing Thadou tribe in Manipur, has strongly condemned' a letter issued by a self-styled group called the "Thadou Tribe Council (TTC-GHQ)", which addressed the United Naga Council (UNC) regarding the contentious Churachandpur -Kangpokpi road, also known as "Tiger Road".

In a media release issued Saturday, TIM clarified that TTC-GHQ is neither recognised by nor affiliated with the legitimate Thadou leadership.

It alleged that TTC-GHQ is a pseudo-organisation created by TS Letkhosei Haokip, a government school teacher, to propagate clan-based and militant-influenced narratives aimed at subsuming Thadou identity under a larger Kuki-centric political agenda.

TIM accused Letkhosei Haokip of creating multiple fronts, including the Kuki Reunification Forum (KReF), World Kuki-Zo Intellectual Council (WKZIC), and others, under the so-called "Federal Council of Five (FCO5)" .

These groups, according to TIM, are being used to push personal agendas under the guise of Kuki nationalism and do not represent the aspirations or welfare of Thadou people.

The release said that TTC-GHQ's letter wrongly portrayed Thadou ancestral land as part of Kuki territory and undermined the distinct ethnic, linguistic, and cultural identity of Thadou tribe, which is recognised as a Scheduled Tribe in Manipur.

It accused TTC-GHQ of distorting Thadou identity in favour, of Kuki political and militant interests.

TIM further appealed to UNC, Naga Hoho, Meetei, Zomi, Hmar, and other tribal groups to remain cautious of such manipulation, warning that the rhetoric promoted by TTC-GHQ under Letkhosei Haokip's leadership threatens inter-community harmony in the state.

Asserting its own legitimacy, TIM traced its roots to the Thadou National Council (TNC) formed in 1984, which later became the Thadou Tribe Council (TTC) in 1992 before being restructured as Thadou Inpi in 2015 at the Delhi Thadou Conclave.

The organisation said that its restructuring was necessary to preserve Thadou people's distinct identity and constitutional rights.

TIM rejected the reformation of TTC-GHQ under Kuki Inpi Manipur in 2023 as illegal and accused it of using militant and clan-centric propaganda to mislead Thadou community.

It reaffirmed that only TIM has the mandate to speak on behalf of Thadou people.

Quoting the 2024 Thadou Convention, the release reiterated: "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" .

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