Thadou Inpi Manipur (TIM), Thadou Students’ Association (TSA), and Thadou Community International (TCI) have jointly demanded an immediate suspension of all census-related processes in Manipur until the controversial “Any Kuki Tribes” (AKT) category is completely and permanently deleted from the list of Scheduled Tribes of the state, warning that any census conducted prior to such deletion would be dangerous, irresponsible, and a direct threat to peace and indigenous rights.
In a release, the Thadou organisations stated that a census conducted under the existing AKT provision would be deliberately weaponised to legitimise illegal immigration, demographic manipulation, and transnational or cross-border terrorism, resulting in severe population imbalance and the gradual annihilation of indigenous identities and communities of Manipur. They cautioned that proceeding with enumeration under such conditions would permanently contaminate census data and distort public policy for generations.
Referring to public statements made during the “Any Kuki Tribes Recognition Celebration Conclave” held at M. Songgel Community Hall in Churachandpur on April 22, 2023, the organisations alleged that Kuki supremacist leaders had openly declared their intent to make AKT the most populous tribal category in Manipur in the forthcoming census. According to the statement, this rhetoric amounted to an explicit threat against the Thadou community, the largest tribe in the state, and against the authority of the state itself, aimed at manufacturing demographic dominance. The large-scale violence that erupted in the same region on May 3, 2023, they asserted, was neither accidental nor spontaneous but a foreseeable outcome of such mobilisation.
The Thadou bodies reiterated that Thadou organisations have consistently opposed the inclusion of “Kuki” or “Any Kuki Tribes” in the Scheduled Tribes list since the 1970s, repeatedly warning that such inclusion would lead to instability and bloodshed. These warnings, they said, were ignored due to political appeasement of Kuki groups, and the present crisis stands as a direct indictment of those policy failures.
Citing a long history of ethnic conflicts in Manipur since the 1990s, including Kuki–Thadou, Kuki–Naga, Kuki–Zomi, and Kuki–Meitei clashes, the statement claimed that Kuki supremacist and expansionist agendas have remained a central driver of violence in the state, with the Thadou community among the most severely affected. In this context, the organisations warned that conducting a census at a time when peace remains fragile would almost certainly provoke further ethnic violence.
The media release pointed out that AKT was inserted into the Scheduled Tribes list in 2003 for what it described as overt political considerations, creating a systemic loophole that has allegedly enabled illegal immigrants and non-indigenous outsiders to obtain residency, constitutional entitlements, and Scheduled Tribe status in Manipur. It noted that the 2011 Census recorded a Kuki population of 28,342 for the first time, figures which, according to the Thadou bodies, were never subjected to rigorous verification.
The organisations stated that the Government of Manipur has already proposed the deletion of “Any Kuki Tribes” through Cabinet decisions taken in 2018, 2023, and 2024, and has communicated the proposal to the Ministry of Tribal Affairs, Government of India, following approved modalities. They said the proposal is currently awaiting the views of the Registrar General of India, and warned that any delay in processing it, especially amid the ongoing law-and-order crisis in the hill districts, could lead to coercion by armed Kuki militant groups during census operations.
Under prevailing conditions, the statement claimed, Kuki armed militants exercise parallel-government-like authority and coercive control over large areas inhabited by non-Kuki indigenous tribes, including the Thadou as well as Aimol, Vaiphei, Paite, Gangte, Simte, Kom, and Zou communities. In such a situation, the organisations asserted that a free, fair, and credible census is categorically impossible, as census officials and community members would be exposed to intimidation and forced misclassification under the AKT category, with any post-enumeration correction being impractical and unworkable.
The Thadou bodies further demanded that the complete deletion of AKT must also precede the National Register of Citizens (NRC) exercise in Manipur, warning that conducting NRC without first addressing the AKT issue would defeat its intended purpose. They cautioned that proceeding with census or NRC exercises under President’s Rule without resolving these fundamental concerns would have serious repercussions for indigenous communities and constitutional order in the state.
Reaffirming their position, the organisations cited the Thadou Convention 2024, which declared that Thadou is a distinct ethnic group and not Kuki, nor part of Kuki, and that any organisation misrepresenting Thadou as Kuki is illegitimate and does not represent Thadou interests. The statement concluded with a final, unequivocal warning that any failure by the authorities to suspend the census until AKT is deleted would render them fully accountable for any further breakdown of peace, constitutional governance, and the rights of indigenous peoples in Manipur.
