Arunachal students' body opposes talks on Kachari ST proposal, seeks withdrawal of July 13 meeting

The All Arunachal Pradesh Students' Union (AAPSU) has objected to a state government move to hold a consultative meeting on the proposed inclusion of the Kachari community of Namsai and Changlang districts as a Scheduled Tribe, Sub-Tribe or Plains Tribe in the National Population Census, demanding that the meeting be withdrawn.

The meeting, convened by the Department of Social Justice & Empowerment and Tribal Affairs, is scheduled for July 13 at the Civil Secretariat in Itanagar under the chairmanship of the Chief Secretary. 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 said it would not allow the proposal to proceed without opposition and warned that it would intensify its campaign if the meeting is held as planned.

AAPSU president Meje Taku described the union's stand as "firm and non-negotiable", arguing that extending Scheduled Tribe recognition to communities that are not indigenous to Arunachal Pradesh would undermine the constitutional and legal safeguards protecting the state's tribal population.

"Arunachal Pradesh is a 100 per cent tribal state, protected by the Inner Line Permit regime under the Bengal Eastern Frontier Regulation, 1873, precisely because our land, resources and political rights belong exclusively to the indigenous people of this state," Taku said. He added that granting Scheduled Tribe status to non-indigenous communities would "strike at the very foundation of that protection".

The student body also questioned the basis of the demand, noting that the Sonowal Kachari community already enjoys Scheduled Tribe (Plains) status in neighbouring Assam.

According to AAPSU, relaxing the criteria for Scheduled Tribe recognition in Arunachal Pradesh could create a precedent for similar claims by other communities with historical or ethnolinguistic links to the state. It argued that such a move could alter the demographic and political balance of Arunachal Pradesh, which has a population of fewer than 15 lakh and is home to 26 major indigenous tribes.

The union further warned that proceeding with the proposal could affect peace and social harmony in the state and said responsibility for any resulting instability would rest with the government.

AAPSU has urged the Chief Secretary and the state government to cancel the July 13 meeting and reaffirm that Scheduled Tribe status in Arunachal Pradesh will remain restricted to the state's existing indigenous tribes.