Manipur Showdown: Meitei Group Takes Fight to Supreme Court Over Kuki-Zo ST Status

IMPHAL: The Meetei (Meitei) Tribe Union alleged that the Kuki-Zo community entered India without valid immigration and threatens to move into the Supreme Court unless their Scheduled Tribe (ST) status is withdrawn.

Takhellambam Parijat Singh, MMTU's organisational secretary claimed in a statement that putting immigrants from Myanmar into India's voters' list, as well as into the Scheduled Tribe (ST) list is unconstitutional and outright contrary to the Foreigners' Act of 1946.

The group of residents was worried with "unchecked illegal immigration" and accused authorities for allowing these immigrants to register as voters and get ST status.

The MMTU termed it as an open and hidden agenda to undermine the existence of indigenous communities in Manipur. The organization has threatened to take legal steps as it believes this threat to regional demographic balance and cultural identity of native groups would vanish only through due process.

MMTU further accused the Kuki-Zo people who settled in Manipur of not being aboriginal inhabitants of the state, claiming there were no villages traced to belong to the Kuki-Zo before 1834; they somehow arrived either as refugees or illegal immigrants.

The population of the village has 29 Kuki households which have been known to be a Kuki village because an annual tax of Rs 3 was paid to the nearest Naga village chief. In 1941, the Manipur State Darbar increased this tax to Rs 6 per year.

As MMTU pointed out, "Until 1973, Kuki refugees sought aid and rehabilitation from both central and state governments; and old records attest to this fact." Besides this, when Kuki-Zo people were included in the Scheduled Tribe (ST) list in 1950, issues began, particularly after the expression "any Kuki-Zo tribe" was used in 1956, more immigrants from Myanmar settled in Manipur.

MMTU observed that while the Indian constitutional does provide very strict parameters for entry into the ST list, asserting that only those communities that have had a high occupancy in an area over time can qualify. The organisation therefore argued that foreigners and refugees should not be included.

Legal precedents include a 2011 Supreme Court of India decision and a 2023 Delhi High Court judgment, both of which ruled that 'outsiders' cannot be included in the ST list. This has happened in several Indian states where communities without the required qualification have been struck off from the ST list.

Yet it continues in Manipur, worrying the Union with the Meitei community.

It warned that the existence of the Meitei people is at stake as more and more non-indigenous groups clamor for Scheduled Tribe status. Merging with India in 1949 greatly posed challenges in the political, economic, social, cultural, and identity landscape in Manipur, and the presence of foreigners from Myanmar made it worse.

The Meetei community is afraid that, without ST status, they may be deprived of holding rights on their land, political power and their cultural identity. MMTU pointed out that there are just 700 square miles in the state left for the settlement of Meiteis and that further political changes, such as delimitation, will keep them isolated.

Outside forces would also encroach their aboriginal lands and national resources fearing that they may remain permanently displaced unless cared for.

MMTU appealed to the indigenous communities, the citizens, and politicians to unite with the Meitei people demanding inclusion in the ST list and that this is crucial for their future. In a caution, they said if this was not fulfilled, then the situation might rise to a point where tensions become high and the community would have to stand up to protect their rights on cultural and political and economic issues

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