This article analyses the political evolution of the All Tribal Students’ Union of Manipur (ATSUM) from a student advocacy group into a central constitutional actor in Northeast India’s federal conflicts. Using archival memorandums, constitutional texts, and conflict jurisprudence, the study maps ATSUM’s legal mobilisation against structural marginalisation.
ATSUM memorandum history forms a crucial empirical foundation within Manipur’s broader political evolution. The student-led movement demonstrates how constitutional grievances transitioned from administrative marginalisation in the 1980s to internationalised human rights claims after 2023. The increasing juridification of ATSUM’s demands reveals the maturation of tribal political consciousness within India’s federal system.
