"Major Tribes Trying To Suppress Small Tribes' Identities": Manipur Chief Minister

Manipur Chief Minister N Biren Singh today said he met representatives of several small tribes and heard their concerns about bigger tribes trying to suppress their identities.

Mr Singh in a post on X said the smaller tribes strongly condemned alleged forgery by a man identified as Paominlen Haokip, who allegedly used fake signatures of the smaller tribes' representatives in a complaint to the National Commission for Scheduled Tribes (NCST).

"Representatives of various small tribes called on me to raise their concerns about major tribes attempting to suppress their identities. During the meeting, they expressed their strong condemnation regarding a complaint filed by one Paominlen Haokip to the National Commission for Scheduled Tribes (NCST), in which their signatures were forged, making them parties to the complaint without their consent," the Chief Minister said.

"They have also urged me to ensure that the complaint raised to NCST be rendered null and void," he added.

The civil society organisations that met Mr Singh are Kharam Union Manipur, Kharam Pallen Village Authority, Federation of Haomee, Laikot Phaijol Village Authority, Kabui Union Manipur, Kom Tribe Organisation Valley, and Kangchup Chiru Village Authority.

In the petition to the NCST, Mr Haokip said villages in Kangpokpi district where Aimol, Thangal, Chiru, Maring, Kom, Kharam, Koireng and other tribes live are Kuki villages. The Kuki tribes claim these areas as part of their separate administration demand.

Earlier this week, members of the smaller tribes had held protests, asserting they do not come under the Kuki umbrella.

"Following the Thadou, Hmar, and Zomi tribes, other tribes such as Anal, Purum, Koireng, Thangal, Chiru, Chothe, Kom, and so on have emerged to declare their non-Kuki identity... It is improper to interpret the term 'indigenous' in a way that circumvents the law in order to disparage the state's indigenous communities," Manipur BJP spokesperson T Michael Lamjathang Haokip said in a post on X. He shared a video of the protest.

"The use of the term 'Kuki' actually is akin to continuation of colonialism and undermining and belittling of our indigenous identity. It is abusive and re-traumatising and must be avoided while referring to the native Thadou and other kindred (Zo) tribes of Manipur such as Vaiphei, Gangte, Simte, Paite, Gangte, Kom, Hmar, Mizo etc. None of these tribes identify as Kuki," he added.

Mr Haokip told NDTV he has been constantly getting threats over voicing opposition to attempts by vested interests to add all smaller tribes under the Kuki umbrella, including the addition of the ambiguous "any Kuki tribe" in the Scheduled Tribes list.

The clashes between the valley-dominant Meitei community and nearly two dozen tribes known as Kukis - a term given by the British in colonial times - who are dominant in some hill areas of Manipur, has killed over 220 people and internally displaced over 50,000.

The general category Meiteis want to be included under the Scheduled Tribes category, while the nearly two dozen tribes that share ethnic ties with people in neighbouring Myanmar's Chin State and Mizoram want a separate administration carved out of Manipur, citing discrimination and unequal share of resources and power with the Meiteis.