Newmai News Network Imphal | December 6 Life in several parts of Manipur valley was disrupted as people observed a one-hour total shutdown to demand inclusion of Meitei/Meetei in the Scheduled Tribe category under the Constitution. Organised under the banner of the Coordinating Body on Scheduled Tribe Demand Committee Manipur, markets in Imphal and other valley districts were closed. Traffic was brought to a grinding halt on roads, including highways. All normal activities were suspended during the course of the one hour-long demonstration. A large number of women vendors of the historic Ima Keithel in Khwairamband market squatted on the road as part of the protest. They also staged a rally within the bazaar area shouting several slogans. Similar protest was also witnessed in the district headquarters. “If the Ibobi government continues to push aside and refuses to bother the long standing demand, there’ll be more agitation,” a protester said. Tuesday’s protest was witnessed in Khurai Lamlong, Shamurou, Thoubal, Bishnupur, Wangjing and several other places. On September 18 last, a mammoth rally was carried out in Imphal to demand Scheduled Tribe (ST) status for the Meiteis, the majority group of Manipur, under the banner of the Coordinating Body on Scheduled Tribe Demand Committee Manipur. The committee has pitched for demand of protection of the Meitei community under the Constitution by enlisting it in the ST category under Article 341 (2). It has maintained that the Meitei indigenous group has been left unprotected for a long time and hence it needs constitutional safeguard by recognising the community as one of the indigenous communities. The Coordinating Committee has been spearheading the campaign for inclusion of Meitei in the ST list. It maintains that the identity, culture and language of the Meitei group can be protected only by enjoying the ST status. The tribal people believe granting ST tag to the Meiteis, general category, could disrupt their community in many ways. A few Meitei based organisations have shown opposition to the demand of ST status for the Meitei group which is made of one language. They said Manipur existed as a princely state under the Meitei kings and therefore the campaign on inclusion of the Meiteis in the ST category should be discontinued.