Imphal, Aug. 10 -- The Scheduled Tribe Demand Committee, Manipur (STDCM) renewed its demand for Scheduled Tribe (ST) status for the Meitei community during an observance of the International Day of the World's Indigenous Peoples at the Youth Hostel in Khuman Lampak Sports Complex, Imphal, on Sunday.

The programme, held under the theme "The Fate of Indigenous Meitei/Meetei Tribe of Manipur," brought together civil society representatives, academics and retired government officials to discuss the community's demand for constitutional recognition.

The STDCM argued that the Meitei community, which constitutes around 53 per cent of Manipur's population and is predominantly based in the Imphal Valley, has a recorded history stretching back mo...