The Meitei (Meetei) Tribe Union (MMTU) has urged the Manipur Government to implement the Manipur Hill Areas (Acquisition of Chiefs’ Rights) Act, 1967, and take steps to abolish hereditary chieftainship in the hill areas.
In a statement, MMTU Secretary (Administration) Mutum Churamani Meitei said the organisation had submitted a memorandum to the President, Prime Minister, Union Home Minister, Governor and Chief Secretary seeking implementation of the Act.
He said the National Commission for Scheduled Tribes subsequently issued a notice to the Manipur Government on May 20, seeking information on action taken to implement the Act within 30 days. The MMTU claimed that no concrete action has followed.
The organisation alleged that the continuation of hereditary chieftainship has contributed to recurring ethnic tensions and raised concerns over land administration and unauthorised settlements. It also alleged that ordinary Kuki villagers remain dependent on hereditary chiefs for access to land.
Referring to former Chief Minister N. Biren Singh’s statement in the Assembly on March 4, 2024, that the government would enforce the 1967 Act, MMTU urged the present government to fulfil the commitment through necessary legislative and administrative measures.
Meanwhile, MMTU will observe September 20 as “Severance Day”, commemorating what it describes as the exclusion of the Meitei community from the Scheduled Tribe (ST) list in 1951.
MMTU Secretary (Organisation) Takhellambam Parijat Meitei said the organisation maintains that the exclusion had historical and constitutional implications for the community. He cited historical and ethnographic records, including the works of T.C. Hodson, in support of the organisation’s position.
The observance will be held at 2 pm at the banquet hall of Nirmala Hotel.
MMTU maintained that its demand for ST status is aimed at restoring what it considers a constitutional safeguard and urged the Union Government to examine the issue.