Churachandpur/Imphal: The Kuki-Zo community in Manipur chose not to take part in this year’s state-level Kut festival on Saturday, as the ethnic tensions that have gripped the state since 2023 continue unabated.
Kut, or Chavang Kut, is the biggest annual post-harvest festival of the Kuki-Zo people, traditionally celebrated on November 1 to mark the season’s bounty and foster unity among communities.
However, the festival has remained suspended for the second consecutive year following the outbreak of violence between Kuki-Zo and Meitei groups last year.
While extending greetings on the occasion, Governor Ajay Kumar Bhalla described Kut as a celebration of “gratitude, unity, and a bountiful harvest,” urging citizens to strengthen bonds of brotherhood across communities.
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Former Chief Minister N. Biren Singh also conveyed his wishes, saying the festival symbolises “peace and harmony,” adding in a social media post that he hoped Kut would bring “happiness and prosperity to every home.”
Kuki-Zo Council (KZC) spokesperson Ginza Vualzong confirmed the community’s decision to abstain from festivities.
“Kut has been celebrated for decades and is recognised as a state holiday. But after the ethnic conflict broke out in 2023, we decided not to celebrate until there’s a meaningful solution from the government,” he said.
For many in the Kuki-Zo community, the continued absence of Kut celebrations stands as a somber reflection of the deep divisions that persist in the state’s social fabric.
