Students take out ST demand rally
Source: The Sangai Express
Imphal, April 29 2024:
Over 1000 students of three schools in Kakching district took out a massive rally today demanding Scheduled Tribe (ST) tag for Meitei/Meetei community.
The rally, held under the aegis of the World Meetei Council (WMC), was participated by students of (Modern) Pangantabi High School, Borni Memorial English School and Saraswati Bal Vidya Mandir.
The students took out the rally covering several kilometres on the Highway raising slogans and holding banners demanding the ST status for the Meiteis/Meeteis, said WMC in a statement.
The students displayed a banner that had the picture of Chief Minister N Biren Singh with the caption "WE WANT ST, the only way to save Meetei" .
The students raised slogans like "We Want ST", "Secure our future", "Only ST tag will secure our future", "Save indigenous people", "NRC, ILPS, border fencing can never replace ST tag" and "Send recommendations" etc.
Notably, WMC and several other organisations and Meitei/Meetei community have been urging the Centre and the State Government to recognise Meiteis/Meeteis as a Scheduled Tribe.
They have repeatedly asserted that the Meitei/Meitei community are facing existential crisis and giving them the ST tag is the only way to provide the community Constitutional protection.
Significantly, the Central Ministry of Tribal Affairs had written to the State Govt in 2013 to send "specific recommendations along with the latest socio-economic survey and ethnographic report" for its consideration to include the Meitei/Meetei community in the ST list.
Despite repeated appeals, the State Govt is yet to send the recommendations and the reports sought.