Phases of Scheduled Tribe listings in Manipur and ‘Any Kuki Tribe’

Hareshwar Goshwami (Writer & Political Activist)
Following the merger of Manipur with the Indian Union, Manipur was reorganized as a Chief Commissioner’s Province under the State Merger (Chief Commissioner’s Province) Order No.SO.30 of 22 January 1950, bringing the administration directly under a Chief Commissioner acting on behalf of the Government of India. With the enforcement of the Constitution of India on 26 January 1950, the erstwhile kingdom of Manipur was placed at the status of a Part ‘C’ State under the Part ‘C’ State Act (Act No.49) of 1951. This new Constitutional position accorded Manipur only a limited measure of self-governance, with substantive authority remaining vested in the Central Government. During these institutional transitions, the Government of India formally classified the people of Manipur into Constitutionally recognised groups such as Scheduled Tribes and Scheduled Castes—without taking into consideration the socio-economic status of the majority of the Meitei.
Clause (25) of Article 366 of the Constitution defines “Scheduled Tribes” as those tribes, tribal communities, or groups within them that are formally recognised under Article 342 for the purpose of the Constitution. Thus, it implies that a community becomes a Scheduled Tribe not only based on its social or cultural attributes, but also on a Constitutional proclamation. The Article 342 shows how the proclamation would be done. It clearly specifies that the President of India may, by public notification, specify the tribes or tribal communities, or parts or groups thereof as may be specified in the said notification, which shall be deemed Scheduled Tribes for any State or Union Territory.
Where it relates to a State, it will be done after consultation with the Governor. Together, these provide a clear process on how tribes are recognized as Scheduled Tribes. It also ensures that it is done on the basis of an official consultation and notice.
The Constitution (Scheduled Tribes) Order, 1950 : The order was published in the Gazette of India (No. 40) on 6 September 1950 through Ministry of Law Notification No. S.R.O. 510. At that time, Manipur had only recently merged with the Indian Union as stated above. In this initial Scheduled Tribes Order, Manipur was conspicuously absent from the list of fourteen States and regions—namely Assam, Bihar, Bombay, Madhya Pradesh, Madras, Orissa, Punjab, West Bengal, Hyderabad, Madhya Bharat, Mysore, Rajasthan, Saurashtra, and Travancore-Cochin—whose Scheduled Tribes were notified. These States were formerly classified as "Part A" and "Part B" States. It is still unclear why Manipur, along with a number of other States and administrative divisions during that time, were left out of this fundamental Constitutional framework.
The Constitution (Scheduled Tribes) (Part C States) Order, 1951: A major step in the classification of Scheduled Tribes in Manipur came with the Constitution Order No. 33 dated 20 September 1951, which covered eight Part C States out of ten, namely Ajmer, Bhopal, Coorg, Himachal Pradesh, Kutch, Manipur, Tripura and Vidhya Pradesh leaving Delhi and Bilaspur. For the first time, the tribal communities of Manipur were mentioned, but only in vague and general terms. Rather than listing the various tribes by their names, it listed “Any Kuki Tribe,” “Any Lushai Tribe,” and “Any Naga Tribe.” These unspecific ways of grouping people could very well have led to discrepancies. It might have been very convenient then, but it conveyed ambiguity. The absence of clear tribe names later became one of the sources of misunderstanding and controversy in the process of identifying and recognising the distinct tribal groups of Manipur.
The Kaka Kalelkar Commission : Possibly in response to the ambiguities found in the earlier Scheduled Tribe orders, the Government of India soon appointed a dedicated body to examine the issue more thoroughly under the Chairmanship of Kaka Kalelkar, MP (Rajya Sabha), (1952-1964). Accordingly, the Kaka Kalelkar Commission, officially known as the First Backward Classes Commission, was constituted in 1953 to identify socially and educationally backward classes other than the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes. Under the chairmanship of Kaka Kalelkar, the Commission undertook an extensive Nationwide investigation into the living conditions of these communities, the barriers limiting their social mobility and educational progress, and the wider socio-economic forces contributing to their backwardness. Drawing on its comprehensive study, the Commission recommended multiple measures for both the Union and State Governments aimed at improving the welfare of these tribal communities and advancing greater social and educational equality across India.
Any Kuki Tribe : The Kaka Kalelkar Commission recommended inclusion of twenty-seven tribes, listing “Kuki” at serial number 13 in the Scheduled Tribe list of Manipur. This was noticeably intended to replace the earlier, more ambiguous expression “Any Kuki Tribe” of the 1951 ST order. Now, the Commission made it clear that the earlier term used in the 1951 ST order was never meant to denote an open-ended or indefinite category. Instead, it explicitly identified the communities meant to fall under this designation, namely, the Aimol, Chiru, Chothe, Gangte, Hmar, Kom, Lamgang, Paite, Purum, Sukte of Manipur, Thadu (Thadou), Vaiphei, and Anal tribes. By naming these thirteen tribes as those covered by the earlier expression “Any Kuki Tribe,” in the “Existing List” column of the Kaka Kalelkar recommendation, the Commission dispelled the widespread misconception that the term could be applied to anyone merely claiming Kuki identity. Its description affirmed that the category referred only to these specifically identified tribes and was never intended to function as a boundless or universally extendable designation.
The Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes Order (Amendment) Act, 1956 : The new amendment Act brought significant changes to the recognition of Scheduled Tribes in Manipur following the Kaka Kalelkar Commission Report of 1955. The Act revised the earlier list of 1951 under Part VI – Manipur, providing a clear and comprehensive enumeration of twenty-nine tribes acknowledged for their distinct social, cultural, and historical identities. These included Aimol, Anal, Angami, Chiru, Chothe, Gangte, Hmar, Kabui, Kacha Naga, Koirao, Koireng, Kom, Lamgang, Any Mizo (Lushai) tribes, Maram, Maring, Mao, Monsang, Moyon, Paite, Purum, Ralte, Sema, Simte, Sahte (Suhte), Tangkhul, Thadou, Vaiphui (Vaiphei), and Zou. Significantly, the earlier expression “Any Kuki Tribe” was omitted from the revised recommendation, as all the communities formerly grouped under this vague category were now individually enumerated in the updated list.
Here, it may be pertinent to state that the Kaka Kalelkar Commission had originally recommended only 27 (twenty-seven) tribes for inclusion in the Scheduled Tribes list of Manipur, retaining broad and ambiguous labels such as “Kuki” at Serial No. 13 and “Naga” at Serial No. 19. However, the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes Lists (Modification) Order, 1956 ultimately recognised 29 (twenty-nine) tribes in respect of Manipur. In this modified list, Moyon and Monsang tribes were separated from the earlier collective entry “Anal” and assigned distinct serial numbers. Similarly, the tribe Simte was delinked from Paite and accorded an independent listing. The tribe name “Lushai,” which appeared at Serial No. 15 in the Commission’s recommendation, was reformu- lated as “Any Mizo (Lushai) tribes” thereby vaguely expanding its scope. An additional tribe, Zou, was also included in the final enumeration. These departures from the Commi- ssion’s original reco- mmendations are understood to have been introduced through a communication from the then Secretary (Home & Development), Government of Manipur, whose intervention appears to have shaped the final composition of the 1956 list.
The Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes Orders (Amendment) Act, 1976 : This amendment was published in the Gazette of India, No. 151, on 20 September 1976, two days after the assent of the President of India on 18th September 1976. With respect to Manipur, the Act did not alter either the total number or the names of the Scheduled Tribes listed for the State. However, certain adjustments in the sequence and spelling of specific entries were introduced. The category “Any Mizo (Lushai) tribes,” which previously appeared at Serial No. 14, was shifted to Serial No. 17, while “Mao,” earlier listed at Serial No. 17, was re-positioned to Serial No. 14. Additionally, a minor orthographic correction was made: the spelling “Sahte,” originally shown at Serial No. 25, was revised to “Suhte.” These modifications, though limited in scope, reflect the continuing administrative effort to maintain accuracy and consistency in the Scheduled Tribes listings for Manipur. Nothing much has changed in these new amendments except minor changes.
The Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes Orders (Amendment) Act, 2002: The Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes Orders (Amendment) Act, 2002 (Act No. 10 of 2003), which came into force on 7 January 2003, introduced important changes to the list of Scheduled Tribes in Manipur. One key correction involved revising Entry 28, replacing the earlier form “Vaiphui” with the accurate name “Vaiphei,” thereby ensuring proper representation of the community in official records. More significantly, the amendment expanded the list by adding four new entries after Entry 29: Poumai Naga, Tarao, Kharam, and Any Kuki Tribes. The reappearance of “Any Kuki Tribes” in the list has attracted public attention, as it appears redundant; all the communities it encompasses were already included in the Scheduled Tribes list. Its inclusion, therefore, seems unnecessary and lacks any clear justification.
The Constitution (Scheduled Tribes) Order (Amendment) Act, 2011 (No. 2 of 2012) : The Constitution (Scheduled Tribes) Order (Amendment) Act, 2011 (No. 2 of 2012), notified on 8 January 2012 and published in the Gazette of India on the following day, introduced important revisions to the list of Scheduled Tribes of Manipur. In Part X – Manipur, the amendment substituted several existing entries to include additional tribes. Under Entry 8, Inpui and Rongmei were added to the broader Kabui category; under Entry 9, Liangmei and Zeme were included alongside Kacha Naga; and under Entry 10, Thangal was added to the Koirao group. More significantly, a new Entry 34—Mate—was inserted, thereby granting the Mate community distinct recognition as a Scheduled Tribe. Through these changes, the total number of recognised tribes in Manipur rose from 33 to 34, while five additional sub-tribes were formally incorporated into the State’s Scheduled Tribes list under this amendment.
All these successive revisions and inclusions have brought the total number of Constitutionally recognized Scheduled Tribes in Manipur to 34 (thirty-four). The present list comprises: 1. Aimol, 2. Anal, 3. Angami, 4. Chiru, 5. Chothe, 6. Gangte, 7. Hmar, 8. Kabui, Inpui, Rongmei, 9. Kacha Naga, Liangmai, Zeme, 10. Koirao, Thangal, 11. Koireng, 12. Kom, 13. Lamgang, 14. Mao, 15. Maram, 16. Maring, 17. Any Mizo (Lushai) Tribes, 18. Monsang, 19. Moyon, 20.Paite, 21. Purum, 22. Ralte, 23. Sema, 24. Simte, 25. Suhte, 26. Tangkhul, 27. Thadou, 28. Vaiphei, 29. Zou, 30. Poumai Naga, 31. Tarao, 32. Kharam, 33. Any Kuki tribes, and 34. Mate.
To conclude, it can be seen that there has been an emerging trend within the listing of Scheduled Tribes in the State of Manipur from vague and collective nomenclatures towards more specific assignments. At first, there were imprecise classifications such as “Any Kuki Tribe,” “Any Naga Tribe,” and “Any Lushai Tribe.” But these were clarified by the Kaka Kalelkar Commission, as much as possible, naming specific tribes they were referring to, thus giving way to a more detailed listing as embodied in the 1956 amendment. Subsequent amendments introduced in 1976, 2002, and 2011 conveyed more precise classi- fications as well as included additional tribes and sub-tribes.
At the same time, it can be noted that the reappearance of such ambiguous terminologies, “Any Kuki Tribe” and “Any Mizo (Lushai) Tribes” demonstrate that there still exist uncertainties within the classification of tribes in Manipur. Such confusing terminologies must be avoided, as every indigenous tribe in Manipur has its own distinct name and identity. Now, the time has come for a collective effort to correct the mistakes towards a more constructive path forward in the larger interest of the people of Manipur. With this, policy-makers, bureaucrats, and all concerned must remain vigilant to ensure such mistakes are not repeated. They should keep a careful watch on those who may attempt to exploit or manipulate the system for their own interests.