Guwahati, July 11 -- The Human Rights of Arunachal (HRA) has urged the Arunachal Pradesh government to drop its proposed July 13 consultation on extending Scheduled Tribe (ST) status to the Kachari community in Namsai and Changlang districts, aligning itself with the stand taken by the All Arunachal Pradesh Students' Union (AAPSU).

Issuing a statement on July 10, HRA said any move involving the state's Scheduled Tribe framework should be taken up only after holding wide-ranging consultations with indigenous tribal communities and securing their consensus.

HRA Chairman Kipa Kaha said Arunachal Pradesh's constitutional and legal safeguards were designed to protect the land, identity, customs and traditional rights of its indigenous people...