"Unlimited Scope Of Abuse": Meitei, Thadou Tribe Bodies Ask Centre To Remove 'Any Kuki Tribes' From Manipur ST List

Two top civil society organisations of Manipur's Meitei community and the indigenous distinct tribe Thadou have asked the central government to remove 'Any Kuki Tribes' from the list of Scheduled Tribes (ST) in Manipur.

The Meitei Alliance and the Thadou Inpi Manipur in a joint representation to Union Tribal Affairs Minister Jual Oram said the inclusion of 'Any Kuki Tribes' in Manipur's ST list is "constitutionally flawed, ethnographically invalid, and a serious threat to the rights and peaceful co-existence of existing recognised communities in the state."

They also called 'Any Kuki Tribes' an "invalid continuation of a deleted colonial classification."

"Any Kuki Tribes proponents claim it represents [sic] a 'Kuki tribe'. This is false. 'Kuki' is neither a tribe nor a language, and it does not denote a distinct culture. It is a loose, political label without ethnographic or linguistic basis, often misused as an umbrella identity for varied unrelated groups," the Meitei Alliance and the Thadou Inpi Manipur said in the representation to the Union minister.

A Thadou Inpi Manipur spokesperson said there are 33 distinct recognised tribes in Manipur's ST list, and adding 'Any Kuki Tribes' takes the total to 34. The last tribe to be added to the ST list was 'Mate' in 2012.

The two civil society organisations pointed out that while the 33 recognised tribes are distinct, 'Any Kuki Tribes' is wide open to misuse because it also means "anybody" can claim to be a part of 'Any Kuki Tribes'.

Statements on social media purportedly made by other tribal organisations claimed they supported the Meitei and Thadou representation on the 'Any Kuki Tribes' issue. NDTV could not independently verify the authenticity of these purported statements.

In Manipur's context, the 'Any Kuki Tribes' category gives "unlimited scope of abuse" by enabling "fabrication of endless tribal identities... which could even include foreigners and illegal immigrants," the Meitei Alliance and the Thadou Inpi Manipur said in their representation to the Union tribal affairs minister. "This unlimited and undefined scope opens the door for mass misuse, mass infiltration, illegal immigration and identity fraud."

The same two civil society organisations from different communities in Manipur, where the ethnic divide is deep, had on March 8 made a joint call for peace in an unprecedented move as they met for the first time on a common platform and for a common goal since the outbreak of ethnic violence in May 2023.

Following meetings of the state cabinet on October 19, 2018 and January 2, 2023, the Manipur government on February 8, 2023 formally recommended the central government to delete 'Any Kuki Tribes' from the ST list. Nearly three months later, the ethnic clashes broke out.

The Meitei Alliance and the Thadou Inpi Manipur presented a 12-point explanation to the Union tribal affairs minister suggesting why 'Any Kuki Tribes' should be removed from the ST list. Some of them included "arbitrary and improper inclusion, non-acceptance by native communities; duplication of recognised tribes, especially Thadou; invalid continuation of a deleted colonial classification, unlimited and abusable scope, misuse by surnames and clans, and inconsistent with the official ST framework".

The two civil society organisations point out that 'Any Kuki Tribes' is essentially an "invalid continuation of a deleted colonial classification." During the 1951-56 period, colonial-era broad groupings like 'Any Kuki Tribe', 'Any Naga Tribe', and 'Any Lushai Tribe' were temporarily used, they said.

After a proper survey by the Kaka Kalelkar Commission [India's first Backward Classes Commission] and with the recommendation of the then state government and a proper ethnographic verification, the 1956 SC/ST Amendment Act or Modification Order deleted 'Any Kuki' and 'Any Naga' - and instead recognised 29 distinct Scheduled Tribes, the Meitei Alliance and the Thadou Inpi Manipur said.

"However, the broad classification of 'Any Mizo (Lushai)' was retained for linguistic-cultural reasons. The re-insertion of 'Any Kuki Tribes' in 2003 violated this settled constitutional and ethnological framework," the two civil society organisations said in their representation to the Union minister.

"There is no justification for creating AKT [Any Kuki Tribes]. The creation of AKT sets a dangerous precedent: if every discontented sub-group within a tribe claims separate ST status, it will result in unending community fragmentation. The deletion of AKT will preserve the sanctity of the ST list as well as the integrity and unity of the recognised communities of Manipur," they said.

A Thadou Inpi Manipur spokesperson said the organisation has been trying to raise awareness about 'Any Kuki Tribes' for a long time, and only now people in Manipur have started realising the gravity of the matter.

"We need to do a lot more. Raising awareness was a start. We hope all communities in Manipur unite and recognise this huge problem to undo the damage done to the state," the spokesperson said.

The ethnic clashes in Manipur have killed over 260 people and internally displaced nearly 50,000.