MHA High-Power Committee Engages Kirat Rai Janajati Mahasangh Delegation in Darjeeling: Centre Pledges Serious Deliberation on Long-Standing Tribal Recognition Demand

KalimNews, Oct 9, 2026, Darjeeling: In a notable stride toward addressing the decades-long socio-political aspirations of indigenous hill communities, a high-level delegation representing the Kirat Rai Janajati Mahasangh (KRJM), Bharat, held an extensive consultative session in Darjeeling with the High-Power Committee constituted by the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA), Government of India. The official meeting, convened upon a formal invitation from the Union Home Ministry, was presided over by the High-Power Committee Chairman Pankaj Kumar Singh, IPS, alongside the State Home Secretary and key senior officials from the MHA.

The 40-minute deliberation centered on the community's primary demand: the formal conferment of Scheduled Tribe (ST) status to the Kirat Khambu Rai community of West Bengal and across India. During the bilateral dialogue, Mahasangh delegates underscored that despite pursuing this constitutional recognition consistently for the past thirty years, the community continues to remain excluded from the ST schedule. The delegation formally submitted an exhaustive dossier comprising historical records, ethnographic accounts, and empirical evidence to substantiate their legitimate claim under constitutional norms.

Pranesh Rai, spokesperson of the Kirat Rai Janajati Mahasangh, stated that KRJM functions nationwide as an independent representative body for the Khambu Kirat Rai community, maintained that its people satisfy all established modalities and criteria framed by the Government of India for tribal scheduling. The delegates highlighted the profound irony that while the Kirat Khambu Rai represent the single largest remaining non-scheduled indigenous population in the region, they are currently categorized under the inadequate Other Backward Classes (OBC) bracket. This classification deprives them of essential constitutional safeguards, educational guarantees, and statutory protections.

The delegation's formal submission called upon the Union Government to expedite a conclusive determination on tribal status through a dedicated anthropological hearing and formal deputation. Crucially, the Mahasangh urged the Centre to rectify what it termed a historical anomaly originating in 1935, and to integrate the grant of ST status into the broader dialogue surrounding the permanent political solution for the Darjeeling Hills and the proposed upgradation of the Gorkhaland Territorial Administration (GTA). The memorandum further demanded comprehensive constitutional coverage for Kirat Rai populations residing across the Hills, Terai, the Dooars, and neighboring states such as Assam and Sikkim.

Beyond constitutional advocacy, the KRJM remains actively committed to the holistic revitalization of the community's linguistic, traditional, and musical heritage through grassroots organizational chapters established across the district. Highlighting its engagement with youth and modernization, the organization recently launched a dedicated Nepali-Rai Dictionary mobile application developed in collaboration with young Gen-Z digital volunteers. Following earlier discussions with the central interlocutor in Kalimpong, this official MHA session represents an elevated milestone in the community’s prolonged democratic pursuit.

Government representatives assured the delegation that the Union Home Ministry is examining the matter with utmost seriousness and sincerity. The committee confirmed that the submission, along with its supporting ethnographic materials, will be officially presented before the Union Government to facilitate an early, equitable resolution. Concluding the dialogue on an optimistic note, the MHA extended a formal invitation to the Kirat Rai Janajati Mahasangh delegation for subsequent rounds of high-level talks in New Delhi. The eight-member delegation participating in the Darjeeling proceedings included KRJM General Secretary K.C. Rai, Secretary Pranesh Rai, and key functionaries Suraj Rai, Amrit Rai, Pradip Rai, D.K. Rai, Kiran Rai, Kishor Rai, and Bijay Dumi Rai.