Several organisations have demanded that the category ‘Any Kuki Tribe’ be removed from the ST list in Manipur.
The Thadou Inpi and the Meitei Alliance jointly raised the matter while submitting the memorandum urging the Ministry of Tribal Affairs to immediately delete the entry “Any Kuki Tribes (AKT)” from the Scheduled Tribes list of Manipur under Article 342 of the Constitution of India.
The statement further read that the inclusion of AKT is constitutionally flawed and ethnographically invalid. It highlighted certain sections as to why the removal is required:
1. Arbitrary and Improper Inclusion
The category ‘Any Kuki tribes’ (AKT) was inserted into the Scheduled Tribes List of Manipur in 2003 through politically motivated and non-transparent means.
Unlike any of the Scheduled Tribes of Manipur that are linguistically and culturally distinct, AKT is an ambiguous and arbitrary insertion without a legitimate basis.
2. Non-Acceptance by Native Communities
AKT is not accepted or recognised by any of the Scheduled Tribes of Manipur, such as the Thadou, Paite, Hmar, Zou, Gangte, Simte, Aimol, Vaiphei, Kom, etc., and the Meitei and communities under the Naga fold.
Instead, its existence has only exacerbated ethnic tension and undermined social harmony.
3. Duplication of Recognised Tribes, Especially Thadou
Culturally, linguistically, and historically, AKT is a duplicate of the Thadou tribe, which has been recognized since India’s first post-independence Census in 1951.
Thadou’s population in Manipur was 2,15,913 (2011 Census), while AKT, introduced much later, recorded a separate population of 28,306, raising serious questions about authenticity and duplication.
Further, the youth of Eastern Zogam have also supported the cause by issuing statements on the matter.
The Hmar Tlangval stated that the 32 Scheduled Tribes, barring the Any Kuki Tribe officially listed, are adequate to represent all the distinct tribes of Manipur and that the need for “Any Kuki Tribe” is null and void.
Meanwhile, the Kuki-Zo community has refuted the statements made jointly by the Thadou Inpi and the Meitei Alliance by calling them out as trying to create “divide and rule”.
“My only question to the organisations who have made such statements, if they say they are Thadous and not Kukis, will they be allowed inside Imphal valley?” said a senior Student Leader from the Kuki-Zo Community.
The leader further stated that no major organisations in the valley have raised the issue of Thadous not becoming Kukis, and the statements made are an indication to bring divisions in the Kuki-Zo community.
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