TAS rejects portrayal of Manipur as tri-ethnic State ‘No singular Kuki ethnic group here’
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By Our Staff Reporter
Imphal, Jan 18 : The Thadou Academic Society (TAS) has rejected the alleged portrayal of Manipur as a “tri-ethnic State” of only Kuki, Naga, and Meitei during a seminar held under the theme “Resurgent Manipur: Framework for Stability & Sustained Growth” on January 13, 2026, in Imphal.
TAS, in a press release, stated that the event organised by Assam Rifles and Manipur University offered valuable discussions on security, governance, reconciliation, and development.
While most seminar contributions were constructive, TAS categorically rejects the portrayal of Manipur as a “tri-ethnic State” of only Kuki, Naga, and Meitei, as wrongly stated by some in the first plenary session, it added.
Saying that this characterisation is factually false, historically indefensible, and politically destabilising, TAS said that the portrayal of Manipur as a “tri-ethnic State” also erases Manipur’s long recognized multi-ethnic reality and reduces a complex civilisational society into an administratively convenient but dangerous fiction.
TAS endorses Banita Naorem (IRS), who rightly affirmed Manipur’s multi-ethnic character and the need for accurate identification of indigenous communities of the State, it said but dubbing Manipur as a tri-ethnic State is misleading and is drawn from the colonial-era errors which has caused lasting harm and contributed significantly to the 2023 Manipur crisis, it said.
It called on all State institutions, especially defence personnel particularly Indian Army, academic and Government institutions and agencies to immediately abandon the reductive Kuki-Naga-Meitei framework in administration, recruitment and reservations (including Agniveer), data, entitlements and official discourse.
This artificial grouping breeds mistrust and undermines peace, it said.
Indigenous people of Manipur are Constitutionally recognised as Meitei, Meitei-Pangal, and Scheduled Tribes (ST), it said and added that the blanket use of “Kuki” for ST communities viz Thadou, Paite, Vaiphei, Hmar, Mizo, Simte, Gangte, Zou, Aimol, Kom, and others is unjust.
TAS said that these communities must be named precisely and respectfully.
There is no singular indigenous “Kuki” ethnic group in Manipur, it said and added that the administrative category “Any Kuki Tribes,” introduced in 2003 and recording only 28,342 people in the 2011 census, was created with inadequate ethnographic consultation.
As a limited and procedurally flawed classification, it cannot override the self-identified ethnic identities of distinct indigenous communities such as Thadou and others nor justify homogenising historically diverse groups, TAS said.
Persistent mislabelling, whether from ignorance or deliberate disregard, risks legitimising radicalised Kuki narratives that fuel exclusion, instability, and violence, it added.
Misidentification is not a semantic issue; it is a core driver of conflict in Manipur, TAS said and urged policymakers, security forces, academia, and media to reject inaccurate labels, recognise Manipur’s true multi-ethnic nature, and support dialogue based on truth, mutual respect, and renunciation of violence and separatist rhetoric.
TAS said that Thadou people are committed to peace, coexistence, education, and Manipur’s shared progress.
Imphal, Jan 18 : The Thadou Academic Society (TAS) has rejected the alleged portrayal of Manipur as a “tri-ethnic State” of only Kuki, Naga, and Meitei during a seminar held under the theme “Resurgent Manipur: Framework for Stability & Sustained Growth” on January 13, 2026, in Imphal.
TAS, in a press release, stated that the event organised by Assam Rifles and Manipur University offered valuable discussions on security, governance, reconciliation, and development.
While most seminar contributions were constructive, TAS categorically rejects the portrayal of Manipur as a “tri-ethnic State” of only Kuki, Naga, and Meitei, as wrongly stated by some in the first plenary session, it added.
Saying that this characterisation is factually false, historically indefensible, and politically destabilising, TAS said that the portrayal of Manipur as a “tri-ethnic State” also erases Manipur’s long recognized multi-ethnic reality and reduces a complex civilisational society into an administratively convenient but dangerous fiction.
TAS endorses Banita Naorem (IRS), who rightly affirmed Manipur’s multi-ethnic character and the need for accurate identification of indigenous communities of the State, it said but dubbing Manipur as a tri-ethnic State is misleading and is drawn from the colonial-era errors which has caused lasting harm and contributed significantly to the 2023 Manipur crisis, it said.
It called on all State institutions, especially defence personnel particularly Indian Army, academic and Government institutions and agencies to immediately abandon the reductive Kuki-Naga-Meitei framework in administration, recruitment and reservations (including Agniveer), data, entitlements and official discourse.
This artificial grouping breeds mistrust and undermines peace, it said.
Indigenous people of Manipur are Constitutionally recognised as Meitei, Meitei-Pangal, and Scheduled Tribes (ST), it said and added that the blanket use of “Kuki” for ST communities viz Thadou, Paite, Vaiphei, Hmar, Mizo, Simte, Gangte, Zou, Aimol, Kom, and others is unjust.
TAS said that these communities must be named precisely and respectfully.
There is no singular indigenous “Kuki” ethnic group in Manipur, it said and added that the administrative category “Any Kuki Tribes,” introduced in 2003 and recording only 28,342 people in the 2011 census, was created with inadequate ethnographic consultation.
As a limited and procedurally flawed classification, it cannot override the self-identified ethnic identities of distinct indigenous communities such as Thadou and others nor justify homogenising historically diverse groups, TAS said.
Persistent mislabelling, whether from ignorance or deliberate disregard, risks legitimising radicalised Kuki narratives that fuel exclusion, instability, and violence, it added.
Misidentification is not a semantic issue; it is a core driver of conflict in Manipur, TAS said and urged policymakers, security forces, academia, and media to reject inaccurate labels, recognise Manipur’s true multi-ethnic nature, and support dialogue based on truth, mutual respect, and renunciation of violence and separatist rhetoric.
TAS said that Thadou people are committed to peace, coexistence, education, and Manipur’s shared progress.