The World Meetei Council (WMC) Assam State Unit, in association with Manipuri Basti Meira Paibi (MBMP), Manipuri Rajbari Students’ Union (MRSU), United Manipuri Association Assam (UMAA), and Achanba Lup (AL), organized a protest at Manipuri Rajbari, Guwahati, on Sunday. They demanded Scheduled Tribe (ST) status for the Meetei community in Assam.
The protestors called on Chief Minister Biren to promptly submit the latest Socio-economic and Ethnographic reports on the Meetei to the Ministry of Tribal Affairs, Government of India.
In a press release, WMC Assam State Unit General Secretary L Pankaj Singh stated that the Meetei community in Assam has been seeking ST status to protect their identity long before the Meetei in Manipur made similar demands.
The statement expressed disappointment over the delay in addressing their request. It cited Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma’s commitment to take necessary action for their inclusion in the ST list once the Meetei in Manipur attain ST status.
The WMC emphasized that Assam’s Meetei can only be included in the ST list after the Meetei in Manipur receive the same status. They reiterated that only ST status can ensure their protection. The council appealed once more to the Manipur Chief Minister to send the required reports to facilitate the inclusion process before the 2026 delimitation.
