Statelessness in the State: Citizenship and Rights of Adivasi People in the 47 (ST) Namsai Assembly Constituency of Arunachal Pradesh

Abstract

Out of all other states in North-East India, Arunachal Pradesh is the largest state in the region inhabited by ‘many’ identities, each one of them having their own distinctiveness. The state and the politics of protected discrimination for Scheduled Tribes in the state have aided in the protection of cultural distinctiveness as well as brought up some of the emerging challenges to the ‘principle of fairness’. The research article focuses on Adivasis, examining the discrepancy between the rights they ‘ought to have’ and the rights they actually have as citizens in the Namsai assembly constituency of Arunachal Pradesh. This article aims to look into the concerns articulated by the Adivasis and how the rights of non-Arunachal Pradesh Scheduled Tribe are subsumed to protect the larger interest of the indigenous community. Amidst the debate on indigenous and outsider, this article examines the ongoing contestation between Adivasi and Tai-Khamti, Singhpho communities and explore the framework through which differences can be reconciled. The study engages with members from both communities to understand the ongoing concerns and examine the approach adopted by the state to navigate the concerns of the communities.