The World Meetei Council (WMC) has submitted a memorandum to the Director of Census Operations, Manipur, and the Registrar General and Census Commissioner of India, Delhi, urging that the caste census scheduled for 2026 should officially recognize the identity of the Meetei community.
According to the Council, the demand is to record the Meetei as a distinct group in the upcoming caste census under the category of “Meetei Identity.” It pointed out that at present, the Meetei are identified under Hinduism due to their association with the sacred deity Ebudhou Pakhangba, which has resulted in divisions within the community. This categorization, the Council observed, has created confusion and caused difficulties, particularly in New Delhi constituencies where members of the Meetei community, despite living together as brothers and sisters, are being separated into different groups.
The Council further stated that within the community itself, some Meeteis are categorized as General Caste while others are listed as Scheduled Caste under the Indian Constitution. However, it emphasized that all Meeteis belong to one and the same community.
With this background, the WMC urged that in the forthcoming caste census, all Meeteis should be collectively recognized under a single caste name—”Yelhoumee,” or in English as “Indigenous,” or in Sanskrit as “Adivasi.” It appealed to the Census authority in Manipur and the Government of India to officially acknowledge the Meetei as a unified community in the nationwide caste enumeration.
The Council warned that failure to properly recognize the identity of the Meetei in the census would make it extremely difficult for the community to stand together as one.
It also highlighted that while the Constitution of India has already extended safeguards and protections to communities such as the Nagas, Mizos, Kukis, Khasis, Tripuris, and Arunachalis, the same has not yet been accorded to the Meetei. Stressing the urgency of the issue, the WMC asserted that the Meetei must be recognized as a single identity in the forthcoming caste census. It further cautioned against attempts to divide the community by branding some as “Loi” or “Kshetriya,” reaffirming that the Meetei are one unified people.