ITANAGAR , Jul 10: The All Arunachal Pradesh Students’ Union (AAPSU) on Friday strongly opposed the state government’s decision to hold a consultative meeting on 13 July to discuss the inclusion of the Kachari community of Namsai and Changlang districts as Scheduled Tribe (ST), sub-tribe or plains tribe in the National Population Census, and demanded that the meeting be withdrawn.

The meeting, convened by the Department of Social Justice & Empowerment and Tribal Affairs, is scheduled to be held at the civil secretariat under the chairmanship of the Chief Secretary. Representatives of the All Arunachal Pradesh Kachari Community Development Council, Sonowal Kachari Jatiya Parishad and the All Arunachal Pradesh Sonowal Kachari Students’ Union have been invited, the union said.

Issuing a strong warning, the AAPSU said it would not allow the proposal to proceed unchallenged and would intensify its campaign if the meeting is held as scheduled.

AAPSU president Meje Taku said Arunachal Pradesh, a “100% tribal state,” enjoys constitutional and legal safeguards through the Inner Line Permit (ILP) regime under the Bengal Eastern Frontier Regulation, 1873. Extending ST status to communities not indigenous to the state, he said, would undermine these protections.

The union also questioned the rationale behind the proposal, noting that the Sonowal Kachari community already enjoys Scheduled Tribe (Plains) status in neighbouring Assam.

The AAPSU further cautioned that any dilution of the existing criteria for ST recognition in Arunachal could set a precedent for similar claims by other communities with historical or ethnolinguistic ties to the region, potentially affecting the demographic and political balance of the state.

The students’ body urged the chief secretary and the state government to withdraw the meeting and reaffirm that Scheduled Tribe status in Arunachal Pradesh would remain confined to the state’s indigenous tribes. It also warned that the proposed move could disrupt peace and social harmony, holding the government responsible for any fallout if the process continues.