March 26, 2025: While preparations are in full swing to mark this year’s ‘Hun’—the cultural festival of the Thadou community—the Kuki Inpi (Assam) and the Kuki SoO groups in Assam, namely UKDA, KRA, and KLA, have issued a statement against the celebration in Assam, stating that ‘Thadou Hun is harmful to Kuki unity’ and that any separate identity that contests Kuki is banned in Assam.
Hun-Thadou Cultural Festival is a significant annual celebration for the Thadou community, marking the arrival of the new year and serving as a platform to honor their culture, customs, and religious beliefs.
The Thadou Students’ Association (TSA) has strongly condemned the undemocratic and unconstitutional diktats issued by Kuki SoO groups in Assam and Kuki Inpi Assam (KIA) to obstruct the celebration of the Hun-Thadou Cultural Festival, 2025, in Guwahati on April 4, 2025.
The TSA, in a statement, has asserted that Kukis should focus on their own affairs and not interfere in Thadou cultural matters. It also said, “In Assam, Thadou is constitutionally and legally distinct from Kuki. As an indigenous community of Assam, with the ‘Thadou Mauzadar’ institution representing the community’s deep-rooted presence as the son of the soil in Assam, we reject any forced association with the ‘Kuki’.”
The TSA also urges the Government of Assam and the Union Government to take immediate cognizance of these threats and initiate legal action against those responsible for issuing such illegal and coercive orders. It also calls upon law enforcement agencies to ensure the safety and security of attendees and organizers of the upcoming Hun-Thadou Cultural Festival Celebration, 2025.
Hun Festival is an integral part of Thadou cultural heritage and identity. It is a celebration of unity, tradition, and progress, and no militant outfit, self-proclaimed authority, or external organization has the right to dictate or suppress the legitimate cultural activities of the Thadou people.
TSA warns that any attempt to forcibly prevent the celebration of Hun 2025 will be met with strong legal and democratic resistance.
