MMTU demands fair probe into crisis
Source: Chronicle News Service

Imphal, January 09 2025: Meetei (Meitei) Tribe Union (MMTU) has reiterated its stance on the systemic deprivation of the constitutional rights of the Meetei community, particularly their exclusion from the Scheduled Tribe (ST) list under the Indian Constitution.

MMTU noted that while other indigenous communities in Manipur enjoy this constitutional right, the Meetei community continues to face privation.

In a statement, MMTU claimed that 90 per cent of the population supports the demand for ST status.

Highlighting struggles for the demand, he reminded that the issue has been repeatedly raised in the state assembly by various MLAs, and different political parties have included it in their election manifestos.

"To push for the demand, several memorandums have been submitted to authorities, alongside widespread public protests, street corner meetings, and public discourses held in the state as well as,Meetei settlements across the country.

Webinars and online meetings with Meeteis abroad have also been organised to garner support," he continued adding that a mass missed-call campaign was also conducted to mobilise public mandate on the issue.

MMTU noted that the Ministry of Tribal Affairs, in response to multiple memorandums, sought recommendations along with ethnographic and socio-economic reports from the state government.

Subsequently, the High Court of Manipur, responding to a petition, directed the state government to submit its recommendation regarding the inclusion of Meeteis in the ST list.

The Union clarified that this judgment is unrelated to the ongoing aggression by Kuki narco-terrorists against the Meeteis.

MMTU called for investigating agencies and inquiry commissions to probe the root cause of the current crisis, while urging government leaders and intellectuals to understand the decades-long planning by Kuki groups in the state.

Highlighting polarised opinions regarding the genesis of the crisis, MMTU demanded a session of the state assembly to discuss whether the demand for ST status is indeed the root cause of the conflict or a pretext used by opposing groups.

Meanwhile, the Union extended greetings to the indigenous people of the state on the occasion of Imoinu Iratpa Day, which falls on January 11, reaffirming its solidarity with the cultural and traditional values of the state.

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