Thadou, Meitei groups urge Centre to remove 'Any Kuki Tribes' from Manipur’s ST list

Representatives from Thadou Inpi Manipur and the Meitei Alliance have formally urged the Government of India to delete the entry "Any Kuki Tribes" (AKT) from the Scheduled Tribes (ST) list of Manipur, citing constitutional irregularities, ethnographic duplicity, and social disharmony.

The appeal, addressed to the Union Minister of Tribal Affairs, Jual Oram, is grounded in the official recommendation made by the Manipur state cabinet through resolutions passed on October 19, 2018, and January 2, 2023, and communicated to the central ministry via an official letter dated February 8, 2023.

According to the memorandum, the inclusion of "Any Kuki Tribes" in 2003 was politically motivated and lacked procedural transparency. The signatories argue that AKT, unlike other constitutionally recognized tribes of Manipur, lacks distinct linguistic or cultural identity, rendering its inclusion arbitrary and constitutionally flawed.
 

The document emphasizes that the AKT label is not recognized by any major tribal or indigenous groups in the state, including the Thadou, Paite, Hmar, Zou, Gangte, Simte, Aimol, Vaiphei, Kom, or the Naga and Meitei communities. Instead, it is alleged that the AKT categorization has fueled ethnic tensions and jeopardized communal coexistence.

The signatories further assert that AKT is a duplicate classification of the already recognized Thadou tribe, whose presence has been consistently recorded since the 1951 Census. While Thadou’s population stood at 2,15,913 as per the 2011 Census, AKT—introduced later—recorded 28,306 individuals, raising suspicions of manipulative duplication in official records.

Urging swift and decisive action, the Thadou Inpi Manipur and the Meitei Alliance call for the immediate deletion of AKT from the ST list under Article 342 of the Indian Constitution. The memorandum insists that such a step is necessary to uphold constitutional sanctity, prevent misuse of ST status, and restore ethnic balance and trust among Manipur’s diverse indigenous communities.