Imphal: Activists of the Scheduled Tribe Demand Committee of Manipur (STDCM) mostly women took to the streets at two different locations and tried to march toward Manipur Legislative Assembly.
Their attempts were foiled by police at Lamphel Super Market, Imphal, and Wangoi in Imphal West district on Thursday, the penultimate day of the 3rd session of the 12th Manipur Legislative Assembly.
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Amidst holding festoons and placards, they chanted slogans demanding the addition of the Meetei/Meitei in the Scheduled Tribe (ST) list of the Constitution and to take a concrete stand to send the report sought by the Centre to verify whether Meetei/Meitei can be given ST status during the Assembly session.
Lamphel Super Market Nupilup (Women’s Vigilante Group) spokeswoman N Ibemcha Devi said that we urging the state Government to forward the report for the past many years but no confirmation has been given though some MLAs whom the STDCM met endorsing the demand personally.
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The festoons and placards they were holding read, “We demand constitutional safeguards, Include Meetei/Meitei in Scheduled Tribe list.”
On the sideline of the protests, a member of Committee I.
Chaoba Meitei said that the inclusion of Meetei/Meitei in the ST list is the only way to safeguard the community from being extinct in the future.