Thousands of people from different walks marched on the streets of Imphal on Sunday to put pressure on the Manipur government to recommend inclusion of the Meitei/Meetei community in the Scheduled Tribe list.

The rally began at Thangmeiband Athletic Union’s ground here and ended at Konung Lampak in Imphal East.

Civil society organisations’ members, politicians and students took part in the rally, organised by the Scheduled Tribe Demand Committee.

The demonstrators protested against the silence of Manipur government saying the “ministry of tribal affairs on May 29, 2013, urged the state government to recommend for discussion in reply to a memorandum submitted by the demand committee”.

The committee said among other movements, a mass rally was organised on September 18, 2016, which was participated by about one-and-a-half lakh people in Imphal demanding the state to recommend the Meitei/Meetei community for ST status.

As decided by a public meeting, the demand committee announced a 24-hour general strike effective from January 21 midnight.

“As a reply chief minister N. Biren Singh invited us for talks and the demand committee members met the chief minister thrice on January 18, February 6 and 16 which led to the suspension of strikes. However, the state government still failed to fulfil the demand,” the committee said.

Demand committee convener Romesh Meetei told The Telegraph, “According to the Constitution, indigenous people are considered Scheduled Tribes. As the Meiteis/Meeteis are indigenous people, we demand inclusion of the community in the ST list. If we are considered general category, we will not have constitutional protection and we fear extinction.”

Six communities of the North East (Koch Rajbongshi, Moran, Matak, Tai Ahom, Chutia and Adivasi/Tea Tribes) were recently included in the ST list, Romesh said.

“Among all the indigenous people in the Northeast, Meeteis/Meiteis will be the only ones excluded from the ST list,” retired civil servant (IAS) R.K. Nimai told The Telegraph.

Manipur titular king Leishemba Sanajaoba said, “This is the question of the survival of the Meitei/Meetei community. It is my sincere appeal to the government to immediately recommend the Centre for inclusion of the community in the ST list.”