The demand for the removal of the term “Any Kuki Tribes” (AKT) from the Scheduled Tribes (ST) list of Manipur has gained further momentum as the Hmar Tlangval, a leading organization representing the Hmar tribe, extended strong support to the joint appeal by Thadou Inpi Manipur and the Meitei Alliance.
In a press statement issued today, the Hmar Tlangval expressed its full solidarity with the memorandum submitted on June 23 to Union Tribal Affairs Minister Jual Oram. The joint memorandum, backed by both the Thadou Inpi Manipur and the Meitei Alliance, calls for the immediate deletion of AKT from the ST list, citing the category as a source of “urgent and serious concern.”
According to the Hmar Tlangval, the inclusion of the AKT category in 2003 undermines the distinct identities and constitutional rights of smaller non-Naga tribes in the state. “The inclusion of ‘Any Kuki Tribes’ greatly affects non-Naga tribals, particularly smaller tribes who are increasingly being subsumed under the Kuki identity through force and coercion by Kuki supremacists,” the organization stated.
The memorandum draws support from previous cabinet decisions by the Government of Manipur dated October 19, 2018, and January 2, 2023, and a formal recommendation sent to the Ministry of Tribal Affairs on February 8, 2023. It argues that the AKT entry lacks constitutional legitimacy, was politically motivated, and directly violates the provisions of the 1956 SC/ST Amendment Act, which recognized 29 specific Scheduled Tribes in Manipur following extensive ethnographic surveys.
The signatories of the memorandum contend that the AKT label is vague, expandable, and has led to duplication and misrepresentation. Tribes already recognized in the ST list—such as Thadou, Hmar, Paite, Vaiphei, Simte, Kom, and Aimol—have found their clans and surnames like Haokip, Kipgen, Doungel, and Sitlhou being absorbed under the AKT category, creating confusion and legal ambiguity.
More alarmingly, the memorandum warns that the broadness of the AKT term could be misused by illegal immigrants and non-native groups posing under fabricated tribal identities such as “Rohingya-Kuki” or “Kachin-Kuki,” thereby threatening Manipur’s demographic structure and tribal safeguards.
The Hmar Tlangval emphasized that the 32 specifically listed Scheduled Tribes in Manipur, excluding AKT, are sufficient to represent the state’s ethnic diversity. “The need for ‘Any Kuki Tribe’ is null and void,” their statement said, urging the Government of India to remove the term entirely, without replacing it with alternatives such as “Kuki Tribe.”
The organizations insist that the term “Kuki” does not denote a distinct tribe, language, or cultural heritage, but is instead a politically constructed umbrella identity. They argue that retaining such a category poses a serious threat to the constitutional, legal, and cultural integrity of the ST list and tribal rights in the state.
The joint call also warns that continuing with the AKT listing could further stoke communal tensions and lead to exploitation of tribal benefits by unqualified entities. “The inclusion of AKT is constitutionally flawed, ethnographically invalid, and a threat to peaceful coexistence,” the memorandum declared.
With the support of the Hmar Tlangval, the demand to scrap the AKT category from Manipur’s ST list appears to be gaining traction across tribal communities, raising pressure on both the state and central governments for a decisive policy response.