GUWAHATI
Amid the unrest in Manipur, the Isak-Muivah faction of the National Socialist Council of Nagaland or NSCN (I-M) has claimed that six minor tribes in the State are Nagas.
The NSCN (I-M) calls itself the National Socialist Council of Nagalim.
In a statement issued on May 26 evening, the NSCN (I-M) said six minor tribes— Aimol, Chiru, Chothe, Kharam, Koireng, and Kom— “are part of the Naga community and have been actively involved in the Nagas’ political struggle for their freedom from India and Myanmar till our goal is achieved”.
‘Our Meitei brothers’
Putting the categorisation of the six communities “on record”, the NSCN (I-M) said “our Meitei brothers” and Kukis should not take them (minor tribes) otherwise and harass them in any manner.
The outfit regretted that the Kom people of Kangathei village had “come under attack by the Kuki militants”, forcing them to flee. Kangathei is the ancestral village of ace boxer M.C. Mary Kom.
“Such vicious violence will only aggravate the situation and this must be put to stop forthwith for the sake of humanity and peaceful coexistence,” the NSCN (I-M) said.
Three communities— Meiteis, Nagas and Kukis— account for much of Manipur’s population. While the Meiteis include the Pangals, who are Muslims, many tribes are clubbed either as Nagas or Kukis.
Tribal groups representing either the Kukis or Nagas have periodically claimed the inclusion of minor tribes into their folds.
For instance, the Manipur Kuki Tribes Recognition Demand Committee submitted a memorandum to former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi in April 1987 seeking the constitutional recognition of 30 tribes as Kukis. These tribes included four communities – Aimol, Chiru, Chothe, and Kom – that have now figured on the NSCN (I-M) list.
The Aimol, though, have resisted bids to be tagged as Naga or Kuki. In November 2015, the Aimol community carried out a rally to protest the erection of a monolith in the Chandel district declaring that they joined the Naga fold. The Aimol Tribe Union Manipur had issued a statement saying the community had a distinct identity, separate from both Kuki and Naga.
