Thadou groups observe Martyrs’ Day across India, honour Nehkam Jomhao, reaffirm their distinct identity and call for protection, accountability and peace.
Imphal, Sept. 14: The Thadou community observed Thadou Martyrs’ Day on September 13 across several parts of India, with Thadou Inpi Assam (TIA) and Thadou Inpi Manipur organising the observance under the theme “Let Us Remember, Honour, Unite”.
The central programme was held at Thadou Veng in Diphu, Karbi Anglong district, Assam, marking one year since the burial of Thadou peace martyr Pu Nehkam Jomhao on September 13, 2025.
Prayer services, candlelight vigils and minute-long silence were also observed in Thadou villages and urban centres including Guwahati, Shillong, Delhi and Bengaluru, according to the community organisations.
At the central memorial, community leaders, traditional village chiefs, known as Haosa, and civil society representatives gathered at Jomhao’s burial site for a graveside service and wreath-laying ceremony led by Pastor Seisem Thadou.
TIA Vice President Pu Apao Thadou opened the central programme, following which TIA President Pu Haosei Thadou unfurled the Martyrs’ Flag.
Representatives of the Thadou Literature Society (TLS), Thadou Students’ Association (TSA), Thadou Women Association (TWA) and Thadou Veng Youth Club also addressed the gathering. Their messages focused on unity, vigilance and preservation of Thadou cultural identity.
The observance paid tribute to Pu Nehkam Jomhao, who was Chairman of TLS Assam. According to the community organisations, Jomhao was abducted and killed in Manja, Assam, on August 30, 2025, following his participation in the Road to Peace – Covenant of Community Understanding conference in Imphal.
The organisations also remembered Thadou victims of violence during 1992–1993 in Assam, which they attributed to Kuki armed militants led by the Chin Kuki Resistance Force (CKRF), later known as the Kuki Liberation Army (KLA).
White flags were displayed at households, churches and institutions during the observance. The organisers said the flags represented peace, remembrance without hatred and unity while retaining the community's identity.
The community leadership used the occasion to reiterate its position that Thadou is a distinct indigenous Scheduled Tribe and should not be identified as “Kuki”.
The organisations appealed to government authorities, law enforcement agencies, media organisations and leaders and members of other communities to refrain from what they described as the misidentification of Thadous.
They stated that Thadou is an independent Scheduled Tribe without a prefix or suffix and cited the establishment of the Thadou Mauzadar in Assam in 1862 and recognition in the 1881 Census of India as historical references supporting their position.
The organisations also described Thadou as the single largest indigenous tribe in Manipur.
Thadou Inpi Assam and Thadou Inpi Manipur called on the state and central governments to protect Thadou communities and their cultural identity from what they described as campaigns and violence by Kuki armed groups.
They specifically referred to Kuki militant groups under the Suspension of Operations (SoO) agreement with the governments of India and Manipur.
In their joint statement, the organisations said the purpose of remembering the community's martyrs was not to promote hatred but to preserve their memory and reaffirm the value of human life, constitutional rights and peace.
