STDCM petitions Guv reiterating demand for ST status
Source: Chronicle News Service

Imphal, July 28 2025: The Scheduled Tribe Demand Committee of Manipur (STDCM) on Monday submitted a memorandum to the Governor's office reiterating its long-standing demand for the inclusion of the indigenous Meetei/Meitei community in the Scheduled Tribes list under the Constitution of India.

The committee had initially sought an official appointment with the Governor to present the memorandum in person, but in the absence of a response, it decided not to wait further and submitted the document directly.

In a statement, STDCM said that it has been spearheading the demand for over a decade, urging successive governments in Manipur to send the necessary recommendation to the Centre for granting ST status to the Meetei community, as directed by the ministry concerned.

However, the committee expressed regret that no appreciable or concrete steps have been taken by any state government so far.

In the memorandum, STDCM has addressed what it believes to be one of the root causes of the ongoing crisis in the state, which erupted on May 3, 2023.It stated that the violence broke out on the day All Tribal Students' Union of Manipur (ATSUM) organised a "Peaceful Tribal Solidarity March" in the hill districts, days after the Manipur High Court issued an order on April 19, 2023, related to the Meetei's demand for ST status.

The committee noted that the narrative propagated by some, including persons in government, that the court's order was the cause of the violent unrest, is both misleading and incorrect.

STDCM argued that the violence occurred only in areas predominantly inhabited by Kuki and allied groups, while the march concluded peacefully in regions inhabited by more than 20 other recognised tribal communities.

It asserted that if the High Court's directive had been the true trigger, then unrest would have been seen across all tribal regions, not selectively.

The memorandum also reiterated the core reasons behind the Meetei community's demand for ST status.

It pointed out that Meeteis, despite being one of the indigenous tribes of Manipur, were excluded from the ST list when it was first prepared in 1951.As a result, the community has lived without constitutional safeguards for over 70 years, facing increasing marginalisation and existential threats within their own ancestral land.

STDCM clarified that the demand is not intended to infringe on the rights or interests of other indigenous tribes, but rather to ensure the survival and protection of the Meetei as an indigenous community.

The committee stated that recognising Meeteis as Scheduled Tribe would promote ethno-social harmony and equality among all indigenous communities in Manipur.

The committee's memorandum appealed to both the state and central governments to treat the issue with urgency and sincerity.

It urged the authorities to act swiftly in processing the recommendation for inclusion of the Meetei community in the ST list, in the interest of justice, security, and peaceful coexistence among all communities in the state.

The STDCM memorandum comes a day after the Meetei (Meitei) Tribe Union (MMTU) announced to intensify its national campaign demanding the restoration of Scheduled Tribe (ST) status for the Meetei community under Article 342(1) of the Indian Constitution, asserting that the community was historically recognised as a hill tribe by the British authorities and deserves restoration, not fresh inclusion.

In a statement, MMTU said that as part of the campaign, an MMTU delegation will be meeting national political, religious, and Adivasi/Scheduled Tribe leaders across India.

It also contended that many leaders have agreed that the Meeteis' demand should be viewed as a matter of rightful restoration rather than a new claim.

MMTU cited extensive colonial-era documentation to support its claim, stating that the British administration had categorised the Meetei as a forest or hill tribe following the Anglo-Manipuri War of 1891.The press release referred to the General Report of the Census of India, 1891 by JA Baines, which identified Meetei as Hindu-practising hill tribes, and the Census of India, 1891 (Assam) by EA Gait, which also made similar references.

In his 1912 publication Ethnography (Castes and Tribes), Baines again described Meetei as Hindu Hill tribe.

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