Manipur’s Meitei, Thadou groups push for NRC, free movement

GUWAHATI

Five organisations representing Manipur’s Meitei and Thadou communities have sought an Assam-like exercise to filter out “illegal immigrants” through an updated National Register of Citizens (NRC).

The organisations have also demanded the deletion of ‘Any Kuki Tribes (AKT)’ from the Scheduled Tribe list in Manipur and the termination of the Suspension of Operations (SoO) agreement with Kuki extremists, while vowing to protect the State’s territorial integrity.

The groups are Meitei Heritage Society, Delhi Manipuri Society, and Ningol United Progressive Initiative, which represent the Meitei civil society organisations, and Thadou Inpi Manipur and Thadou Students’ Association, which represent the Thadous, who assert their non-Kuki identity.

In a joint statement on May 2, 2025, the Meitei and Thadou organisations reaffirmed their commitment to safeguarding Manipur’s integrity, unity, and interests as a multiethnic State. “Both parties also recognise the significant roles and contributions of the Thadou people for the protection of the collective interest of Manipur people and the State’s integrity,” it said.

The two sets of organisations recognised Thadou as a distinct indigenous community, which “does not fall under the category of Kuki or AKT”. They resolved to appeal to the competent authorities to delete the “unconstitutional and ambiguous” AKT from the list of Scheduled Tribes in Manipur.

“This unclear designation is being exploited by illegal immigrants to obtain undeserved ST status, propagating a deadly ideology of Kuki supremacism that endangers communal unity in Manipur and poses a direct threat to national security. The AKT was incorrectly added to the ST list of Manipur in 2003 for political reasons, paving the way for the (mass) influx and legalisation of illegal immigrants,” they said.

“Neither ethnic nor cultural”

The organisations said the term ‘Kuki’ was neither an ethnic nor a cultural identity, but a faulty colonial construct that was later exploited by power-hungry activists and vested interests with separatist and political ideologies to gain control over Manipur’s indigenous communities.

“None of the 29 originally recognised tribes of Manipur identify as Kuki or AKT. Therefore, the use or reference to the term ‘Kuki’ must be discontinued in all academic, research, and official settings. To preserve and protect the authentic identities of the indigenous peoples of Manipur, the names of the recognised ST listed under Article 342 of the Constitution of India, each with its own distinct and independent ethnic identity, should be used only when referring to that specific tribe or community and not under any blanket, colonial, or imposed label,” they said.

Denouncing Kuki extremism, the organisations demanded the termination of the SoO agreement with some 25 armed groups. They claimed the SoO groups weaponised the agreement to terrorise and suppress the unarmed indigenous people, particularly the Thadou community, in pursuit of an anti-Manipur agenda.

Free movement

“Both parties collectively resolved to call upon the government of India to expedite the updating of the NRC in Manipur to identify and address the influx of illegal immigrants whose presence threatens indigenous communities and national security. A thorough NRC process is fundamental to preserving demographic integrity and restoring public confidence,” the Meitei-Thadou organisations said.

They expressed support for the efforts of the Ministry of Home Affairs to ensure free movement of all communities throughout the State, including the National Highways in both the Imphal Valley and the hills, and to take firm action against any entities that block this constitutional right.

Since the ethnic conflict that broke out on May 3, 2023, Meiteis and the Kuki-Zo people have avoided going into each other’s areas.

The Meitei and Thadou organisations also agreed to appeal to the government to rehabilitate and resettle internally displaced people in their legitimate places of residence with proper compensation and protection. The bulk of some 60,000 displaced people in Manipur continue to live in relief camps.