The warning couldn’t be clearer — and Itanagar’s government better be listening.
The All Arunachal Pradesh Students’ Union (AAPSU) has thrown down the gauntlet, telling the state government in no uncertain terms to cancel a July 13 consultation on granting Scheduled Tribe status to the Kachari community — or watch the agitation escalate to a whole new level.
A Meeting That Has Ignited a Firestorm
The Department of Social Justice, Empowerment and Tribal Affairs had scheduled the meeting, to be chaired by the Chief Secretary, to discuss the proposed inclusion of the Kachari community of Namsai and Changlang districts under the Scheduled Tribe (ST), Sub-Tribe and Plains Tribe category. Representatives of the All Arunachal Pradesh Kachari Community Development Council, Sonowal Kachari Jatiya Parishad, and the All Arunachal Pradesh Sonowal Kachari Students’ Union were invited to participate. That sounds procedural enough on paper. But for AAPSU, holding this meeting is nothing short of playing with fire.
“Clear and Uncompromising” — AAPSU Means Business
AAPSU president Meje Taku didn’t mince words. He reminded the government that Arunachal Pradesh is a fully tribal state, shielded under the Inner Line Permit system rooted in the Bengal Eastern Frontier Regulation of 1873. These aren’t just historical relics — they are living protections for the land, resources, and political rights of the state’s indigenous communities. Taku made it plain: granting ST status to communities not indigenous to the state would chip away at those constitutional safeguards, and the union’s position on this remains, as he put it, “clear and uncompromising.” There is zero ambiguity there.
The Assam Argument Nobody Is Ignoring
Here’s a point that hits hard. The Sonowal Kachari community already holds Scheduled Tribe (Plains) status in neighbouring Assam. AAPSU is asking a straightforward question — if the recognition already exists in Assam, why does Arunachal Pradesh need to extend it here too? It’s a legitimate question, and one the government hasn’t answered to anyone’s satisfaction. The student body also warned that loosening the criteria now could open floodgates, with other communities making similar demands — potentially reshaping the state’s demographic and political landscape in ways that can’t easily be undone.
The Stakes Are Bigger Than One Meeting
AAPSU has directly held the state government responsible for any disruption to peace and social harmony that follows this move. That’s not empty posturing. In a state where tribal identity, land rights, and political representation are deeply intertwined, one wrong step on the ST question can unravel years of delicate balance.
The government called a meeting. The students called their bluff. July 13 is coming fast — and Arunachal Pradesh is watching to see who blinks first.
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