Student union opposes Kachari ST consultation in Arunachal, threatens to escalate agitation

The All Arunachal Pradesh Students' Union (AAPSU) has strongly opposed the state government's decision to hold a consultation on the proposed inclusion of the Kachari community of Namsai and Changlang districts under the Scheduled Tribe (ST), Sub-Tribe and Plains Tribe category, warning that it will intensify its agitation if the meeting proceeds.

The state government's Department of Social Justice, Empowerment and Tribal Affairs has convened the meeting on July 13, to be chaired by the Chief Secretary, to discuss the proposal. Representatives of the All Arunachal Pradesh Kachari Community Development Council, Sonowal Kachari Jatiya Parishad, and the All Arunachal Pradesh Sonowal Kachari Students' Union have been invited to participate.

AAPSU president Meje Taku said Arunachal Pradesh is a fully tribal state protected under the Inner Line Permit (ILP) system of the Bengal Eastern Frontier Regulation, 1873, which safeguards the land, resources and political rights of the state's indigenous communities.

"Granting Scheduled Tribe status to communities that are not indigenous to the state would weaken these constitutional and legal safeguards," Taku said, reiterating that the union's stand on the issue remains "clear and uncompromising."

The student body argued that the Sonowal Kachari community already enjoys Scheduled Tribe (Plains) status in neighbouring Assam, questioning the need for similar recognition in Arunachal Pradesh.

AAPSU also warned that relaxing the existing criteria for Scheduled Tribe recognition could trigger similar demands from other communities with historical or ethnic links to the state, potentially affecting Arunachal Pradesh's demographic composition and political balance.

The union further expressed concern that any move to alter the existing framework could disturb peace and social harmony, holding the state government responsible for any consequences arising from the proposed consultation.

Demanding that the meeting be cancelled, AAPSU urged the government to reaffirm that the criteria for Scheduled Tribe recognition in Arunachal Pradesh would remain restricted to the state's recognised indigenous tribal communities.