Tripartite talks on Adivasi ST status

The long-pending issue of the Adivasi community got a thrust on Friday when, for the first time, a delegation of the Adivasi National Convention (ANC) along with five Adivasi ceasefire militant groups sat for a tripartite dialogue with Shambhu Singh, the joint secretary (northeast) in the Union ministry of home affairs (MHA). The meeting was held in the presence of officials of the state home department and the department of Welfare of Plains Tribes and Backward Classes (WRT&BC).

Ceasefire militants groups like Birsa Commando Force, Adivasi Cobra Militants of Assam (ACMA), Santhal Triger Force, Adivasi People’s Army and AANLA are now under ANC, the umbrella organization.

The meeting, held in the city’s Special Branch headquarters located at Kahilipara, discussed the issue of allotting ST status to the Adivasi community and instructed the state government to omit all the demarcations in their population.

"Till now, the Adivasi population of the state was divided between the tea tribes and other Schedule Tribes. But as per the new instruction of the joint commissioner, all Adivasis will be under the same community," said Zabrius Kaka, chariman of ACMA. He added the next date of the dialogue was settled after three months.

"In these three months, the convention will have to submit the historical background of the Adivasis of the state to the government.