Call to remove Any Kuki Tribe from ST list grows louder
Source: The Sangai Express
Imphal, June 23 2025:
The call for deletion of 'Any Kuki Tribe' from the Scheduled Tribe list of Manipur has been growing louder by the day with the Thadou Inpi Manipur and the Meitei Alliance renewing the same call.
The Thadou Inpi Manipur and the Meitei Alliance have also asserted their appeal aligns with the official position of the Government of Manipur, which, following Cabinet decisions on October 19, 2018 and January 2, 2023, formally recommended the deletion of Any Kuki Tribe through a letter sent to the Ministry of Tribal Affairs on February 8, 2023 .
The Thadou Inpi Manipur and the Meitei Alliance today submitted a memorandum to Union Minister of Tribal Affairs Jual Oram giving a detailed and multi-layered analysis demonstrating that the inclusion of Any Kuki Tribe or AKT is Constitutionally flawed, ethnographically invalid and a serious threat to the rights and peaceful co-existence of existing recognised communities in the State.
1. Arbitrary and improper inclusion
The category 'Any Kuki tribes' (AKT) was inserted in the Scheduled Tribes List of Manipur in 2003 through politically motivated and non-transparent means.
Unlike any of the Scheduled Tribes of Manipur that are linguistically and culturally distinct, AKT is an ambiguous and arbitrary insertion without legitimate basis.
2. Non-acceptance by native communities
AKT is not accepted or recognized by any of the Scheduled Tribes of Manipur, such as the Thadou, Paite, Hmar, Zou, Gangte, Simte, Aimol, Vaiphei, Kom, etc, and the Meitei and communities under the Naga fold.
Instead, its existence has only exacerbated ethnic tension and undermined social harmony.
3. Duplication of recognized tribes, especially Thadou
Culturally, linguistically, and historically, AKT is a duplicate of the Thadou tribe, which has been recognized since India's first post-independence Census in 1951.Thadou's population in Manipur was 2,15,913 (2011 Census), while AKT, introduced much later, recorded a separate population of 28,306, raising serious questions about authenticity and duplication.
4. 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 used temporarily.
After proper survey by the Other Backward Commission headed by Kaka Kalekar Commission and with the recommendation of the Government of the State of that time and proper ethnographic verification, the 1956 SC/ST Amendment Act or Modification Order deleted 'Any Kuki' and 'Any Naga' and instead enlisted 29 Scheduled Tribes.
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.
5. Kuki is not a tribe
AKT proponents claim it represents 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.
6. Unlimited and abusable scope
AKT enables the fabrication of endless tribal identities using suffixes like Khongsai-Kuki, Doungel-Kuki, Rohingya-Kuki, Kachin-Kuki, and others, which could even include foreigners and illegal immigrants.
This unlimited and undefined scope opens the door for mass misuse, mass infiltration/illegal immigration and identity fraud.
7. Threat by foreigners and security concerns
The vague nature of AKT allows foreigners to claim tribal rights in Manipur.
This poses a serious threat to the land, resources, and Constitutional privileges of pre-existing Scheduled Tribes.
It mirrors the tribal certificate scam in Maharashtra, where over 10 lakh fake ST certificates were issued to non-tribals over decades.
8. Misuse by surnames and clans
Clans or family names like Haokip, Kipgen, Doungel, Guite, Sitlhou, etc, are not separate tribes.
They are sub-clans or surnames within the Thadou or, in some cases, within related Scheduled Tribes such as Paite and Vaiphei.
These have been wrongly and arbitrarily termed to be under AKT, leading to further duplication and confusion.
9. Inconsistent with official ST framework
The current list of Scheduled Tribes of Manipur includes all historically recognized and distinct tribes (Thadou, Paite, Vaiphei, Simte, Hmar, Gangte, etc).
Among them, only AKT lacks definition or prefix/suffix, making it a legal anomaly.
It stands in stark contrast to the well-defined and consistent recognition of all other tribes.
10. Lacks distinct identity
AKT has no unique language, separate cultural heritage, and geographical isolation, all of which are the basic criteria for Scheduled Tribe recognition under Article 342 of the Constitution of India.
It fails every benchmark and only serves to sow ethnic discord and legal confusion.
11. No need for AKT creation
There is no justification for creating AKT.
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.
12. Inapplicability of Assam/Meghalaya/Nagaland models
The use of 'Any Kuki tribes' in Assam and Meghalaya or the use of 'Kuki' in Nagaland cannot be applied to Manipur.
These are legacy classifications for States where tribal mapping is less refined.
Manipur, on the other hand, has a fully defined ST list based on historical, linguistic, and ethnographic clarity.
Therefore, it is imperative that 'Any Kuki tribes' (AKT) be deleted immediately from the list of Scheduled Tribes of Manipur.
It must not be renamed or substituted with 'Kuki tribe' or any other misleading nomenclature.
This is essential to uphold the legal, cultural, and demographic integrity of the State, read the memorandum.
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