Imphal, Manipur – A joint representation from the Thadou Inpi Manipur and the Meitei Alliance has formally approached the Government of India, appealing for the removal of the entry “Any Kuki Tribes” (AKT) from Manipur’s Scheduled Tribes (ST) list. The organisations cite constitutional irregularities, ethnographic inaccuracies, and growing social disharmony as primary reasons for their plea.
The appeal, addressed to Union Minister of Tribal Affairs, Jual Oram, finds its basis in official recommendations made by the Manipur state cabinet. Resolutions passed on October 19, 2018, and January 2, 2023, along with an official letter dated February 8, 2023, had previously communicated the state’s stance to the central ministry.
According to the memorandum submitted, the inclusion of “Any Kuki Tribes” in the ST list in 2003 was allegedly politically motivated and lacked proper procedural transparency. The signatories contend that AKT, unlike other constitutionally recognised tribes in Manipur, does not possess a distinct linguistic or cultural identity, thereby rendering its inclusion arbitrary and constitutionally unsound.
The document highlights that the AKT label is not acknowledged by any major tribal or indigenous groups within the state, including the Thadou, Paite, Hmar, Zou, Gangte, Simte, Aimol, Vaiphei, Kom, or the prominent Naga and Meitei communities. It is further alleged that this categorization has inadvertently fuelled ethnic tensions and jeopardised communal coexistence in Manipur.
A significant point raised by the signatories is their assertion that AKT represents a duplicate classification of the already recognised Thadou tribe. The presence of the Thadou tribe has been consistently documented since the 1951 Census, with their population recorded at 2,15,913 as per the 2011 Census. In contrast, AKT, introduced at a later date, recorded a population of 28,306 individuals in the same census, leading to suspicions of manipulative duplication within official records.
The Thadou Inpi Manipur and the Meitei Alliance are pressing for swift and decisive action, advocating for the immediate deletion of AKT from the ST list under Article 342 of the Indian Constitution. They maintain that such a step is crucial to uphold constitutional sanctity, prevent the misuse of ST status, and ultimately restore ethnic balance and trust among Manipur’s diverse indigenous communities.