Student Union Fights Move to Grant Tribal Status to Kachari Community

Itanagar: The All Arunachal Pradesh Students' Union is digging in. They want the state government to scrap a consultative meeting set for July 13 at the Itanagar Civil Secretariat. The session aims to discuss granting Scheduled Tribe status to the Kachari community living in Namsai and Changlang.

The Department of Social Justice and Empowerment and Tribal Affairs invited groups like the Sonowal Kachari Jatiya Parishad to the table. AAPSU leaders warned that they will ramp up their campaign if the government ignores their demand to withdraw the meeting. They claim this move threatens the state's legal safeguards.

AAPSU president Meje Taku insists the group's stance is firm. He argues that extending status to outsiders destroys the protections meant for indigenous people. As Taku stated, "Arunachal Pradesh is a 100 per cent tribal state, protected by the Inner Line Permit regime under the Bengal Eastern Frontier Regulation, 1873, precisely because our land, resources and political rights belong exclusively to the indigenous people of this state."

The union points out that the Sonowal Kachari already hold tribal status in neighboring Assam. They fear this proposal sets a dangerous precedent. It could shift the political balance for a state home to 26 major tribes and fewer than 1.5 million people. Officials risk sparking social unrest if they move forward with these talks.