Manipur Chief Minister N Biren Singh on Tuesday said that an all-tribe committee would be formed to decide on whether the Chin Kuki community would remain in the Scheduled Tribes (ST) list of the state.
“They were included in the (ST) list of Manipur but how they were included needs to be re-examined. Before making a comment, we have to form a committee consisting of all tribes (of the state),” the CM said.
Singh’s statement came in the wake of a letter by the Union Ministry of Tribal Affairs seeking the state government’s views on the demand for deletion of the “nomadic Chin Kuki” community from Manipur’s ST list.
After getting the panel’s recommendations, the state government will be able to send its view on the matter, the CM said.
The demand was made by Maheshwar Thounaojam, National Secretary of the Republican Party of India (Athawale), who said that members of that community are not indigenous people of India but immigrants.
