MEDIA RELEASE
Imphal, the 7th April, 2027
The 8th State-Level Hun-Thadou Cultural Festival 2026, under the theme “Upholding Our Identity, Shaping Our Destiny,” was held in a restricted form today in Imphal following the brutal killing of two innocent children—a five-year-old boy and a five-month-old baby girl—by suspected Kuki terrorists in Tronglaobi, Bishnupur district, in the early hours of April 7. In response to this heinous act of terrorism, all live streaming, concert, and entertainment programmes were cancelled. What should have been a celebration of identity was reduced to a day of mourning, anger, and justified outrage.
Dignitaries from across Manipur—including leaders of civil society organisations and elected representatives—as well as a delegation from Mizoram, including the leadership of the Mizo Zirlai Pawl (MZP), joined leaders and members of the Thadou community at the event. Their addresses reaffirmed not only the cultural importance of the Hun-Thadou Festival but also the historic role of the Thadou people as defenders of peace and the territorial integrity of Manipur—principles now under direct and intensifying assault.
While the entertainment components were withdrawn, the core programme—including the release of the Hun-Thadou Cultural Festival Souvenir and the book “Manipur in Peril: The Danger of Kuki Supremacism and Radicalism,” with the subtitle “The Thadou Struggle: Defending Peace and Indigenous Identity Against Persecution”—proceeded as scheduled. Jointly produced by the Thadou Students’ Association, Thadou Inpi Manipur, and Thadou Community International, the book lays bare the ideological foundations and operational networks driving the ongoing Kuki violence. Its warning is explicit and unambiguous: appeasement of extremism produces violence. The killings of today are not incidental—they are the inevitable consequence of a failed and reckless policy approach.
For years, Thadou civil bodies have issued clear, consistent, and urgent warnings about rising Kuki radicalisation, organised violence, and the expanding reach of Kuki extremist networks. These warnings were not merely ignored—they were deliberately sidelined. Instead of dismantling these threats, authorities have chosen to engage, accommodate, and in effect legitimise actors linked to Kuki violence. This sustained pattern of Kuki appeasement, combined with the marginalisation of credible pro-peace organisations—including Thadou Inpi Manipur and other responsible civil society voices of the state—has directly enabled the current and past crises in Manipur.
This is not simply a policy lapse—it is a serious failure of responsibility and accountability. When perpetrators of violence face no consequences, they are emboldened. When the state replaces firmness with appeasement, it risks becoming complicit in the escalation of violence. The loss of innocent children is not collateral—it is the direct cost of that failure.
The decision to scale back the festival was not only an expression of grief—it was a clear act of protest. It reflects the deep anger, growing frustration, and collapsing trust among a people who have long warned of precisely these consequences.
The time for symbolic gestures is over. The time for denial is over. What is required now is immediate, decisive, and uncompromising action. Anything less will only invite further bloodshed.
It is now undeniable that forces seeking to destabilise and fracture Manipur will stop at nothing. This moment must harden—not weaken—the collective resolve of the people of Manipur to stand united, defend peace, and defeat those who seek to destroy it.
The Thadou community acknowledges the growing understanding and support extended by the people of Manipur—especially members and leaders of Meitei civil society—in recognising the distinct identity of the Thadou people and rejecting past mischaracterisations of Thadous as Kuki.
Thadou Inpi Manipur and the Organising Committee of the Hun-Thadou Cultural Festival 2026 express gratitude to the Almighty for guiding the community thus far, and extend sincere thanks to all who contributed to organising the event and to those who participated in the event.
Issued by – Thadou Inpi Manipur
Imphal, the 7th April, 2027
The 8th State-Level Hun-Thadou Cultural Festival 2026, under the theme “Upholding Our Identity, Shaping Our Destiny,” was held in a restricted form today in Imphal following the brutal killing of two innocent children—a five-year-old boy and a five-month-old baby girl—by suspected Kuki terrorists in Tronglaobi, Bishnupur district, in the early hours of April 7. In response to this heinous act of terrorism, all live streaming, concert, and entertainment programmes were cancelled. What should have been a celebration of identity was reduced to a day of mourning, anger, and justified outrage.
Dignitaries from across Manipur—including leaders of civil society organisations and elected representatives—as well as a delegation from Mizoram, including the leadership of the Mizo Zirlai Pawl (MZP), joined leaders and members of the Thadou community at the event. Their addresses reaffirmed not only the cultural importance of the Hun-Thadou Festival but also the historic role of the Thadou people as defenders of peace and the territorial integrity of Manipur—principles now under direct and intensifying assault.
While the entertainment components were withdrawn, the core programme—including the release of the Hun-Thadou Cultural Festival Souvenir and the book “Manipur in Peril: The Danger of Kuki Supremacism and Radicalism,” with the subtitle “The Thadou Struggle: Defending Peace and Indigenous Identity Against Persecution”—proceeded as scheduled. Jointly produced by the Thadou Students’ Association, Thadou Inpi Manipur, and Thadou Community International, the book lays bare the ideological foundations and operational networks driving the ongoing Kuki violence. Its warning is explicit and unambiguous: appeasement of extremism produces violence. The killings of today are not incidental—they are the inevitable consequence of a failed and reckless policy approach.
For years, Thadou civil bodies have issued clear, consistent, and urgent warnings about rising Kuki radicalisation, organised violence, and the expanding reach of Kuki extremist networks. These warnings were not merely ignored—they were deliberately sidelined. Instead of dismantling these threats, authorities have chosen to engage, accommodate, and in effect legitimise actors linked to Kuki violence. This sustained pattern of Kuki appeasement, combined with the marginalisation of credible pro-peace organisations—including Thadou Inpi Manipur and other responsible civil society voices of the state—has directly enabled the current and past crises in Manipur.
This is not simply a policy lapse—it is a serious failure of responsibility and accountability. When perpetrators of violence face no consequences, they are emboldened. When the state replaces firmness with appeasement, it risks becoming complicit in the escalation of violence. The loss of innocent children is not collateral—it is the direct cost of that failure.
The decision to scale back the festival was not only an expression of grief—it was a clear act of protest. It reflects the deep anger, growing frustration, and collapsing trust among a people who have long warned of precisely these consequences.
The time for symbolic gestures is over. The time for denial is over. What is required now is immediate, decisive, and uncompromising action. Anything less will only invite further bloodshed.
It is now undeniable that forces seeking to destabilise and fracture Manipur will stop at nothing. This moment must harden—not weaken—the collective resolve of the people of Manipur to stand united, defend peace, and defeat those who seek to destroy it.
The Thadou community acknowledges the growing understanding and support extended by the people of Manipur—especially members and leaders of Meitei civil society—in recognising the distinct identity of the Thadou people and rejecting past mischaracterisations of Thadous as Kuki.
Thadou Inpi Manipur and the Organising Committee of the Hun-Thadou Cultural Festival 2026 express gratitude to the Almighty for guiding the community thus far, and extend sincere thanks to all who contributed to organising the event and to those who participated in the event.
Issued by – Thadou Inpi Manipur
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