ITANAGAR, Jul 10: The All Arunachal Pradesh Students' Union (AAPSU) has strongly opposed the state government's decision to convene a consultative meeting on the proposal to include the Kachari community of Namsai and Changlang districts as a Scheduled Tribe/Sub-Tribe/Plains Tribe in the National Population Census, and has demanded that the meeting be withdrawn.
The meeting, convened by the Department of Social Justice, Empowerment and Tribal Affairs, is scheduled to be held on July 13 at the Civil Secretariat under the chairmanship of the Chief Secretary. Representatives of the All Arunachal Pradesh Kachari Community Development Council, Sonowal Kachari Jatiya Parishad and the All Arunachal Pradesh Sonowal Kachari Students' Union have been invited.
AAPSU president Meje Taku said the union's opposition to the proposal was "firm and non-negotiable." He said Arunachal Pradesh is a fully tribal state protected under the Bengal Eastern Frontier Regulation, 1873, and argued that extending Scheduled Tribe status to communities that are not indigenous to the state would undermine the constitutional safeguards meant to protect the rights of its indigenous people.
The union also pointed out that the Sonowal Kachari community already enjoys Scheduled Tribe (Plains) status in neighbouring Assam, questioning the need for another tribal recognition in Arunachal Pradesh.
AAPSU cautioned that any dilution of the criteria for Scheduled Tribe recognition could encourage similar demands from other communities with historical or ethno-linguistic links to the state, potentially affecting its demographic and political balance.
The union further warned that any move in this direction could disturb peace and social harmony and urged the state government to withdraw the proposed meeting.
It also called upon the Chief Secretary to reaffirm that Scheduled Tribe status in Arunachal Pradesh would remain confined to the state's indigenous tribes, warning that it would intensify its agitation if the meeting goes ahead as scheduled.