| Staff REPORTER |
Itanagar, Jul 14: The Arunachal Pradesh Scheduled Tribe Protection Forum (APSTPF) has sought an explanation from the State Education Department over the inclusion of the Yobin (Lisu) community of Changlang district in the NCERT Class VIII textbook, History and Culture of Arunachal Pradesh.
Addressing a press conference here on Tuesday, APSTPF spokesperson Mogu Laxmi termed the inclusion a "blatant mistake" and demanded immediate withdrawal and banning of the textbook in the state until the issue is reviewed.
The Forum reiterated its stand that the Yobin community is not explicitly listed as a Scheduled Tribe under Article 342 of the Constitution of India and alleged that describing the community as a tribal group of Arunachal Pradesh in the textbook is unconstitutional and misleading.
APSTPF has also maintained that electoral nominations of members of the community for local body elections should be accepted only under the general category.
The Forum urged the State Government and the Education Department to take immediate corrective measures, claiming that the content could create confusion regarding the constitutional status of Scheduled Tribes in the state.