Since the riots, specially appointed Vigilance inspectors have been investigating 593 cases of fake tribal certificates and most of them have been found to be false, officials said.

But tribal leader and the chief of the Kandhamal Zilla Kui Samanwaya Samiti, Lambodar Kanhar, said the deletion of Kuis from the tribal list would not solve anything in the strife-torn district.

“Our identity originates from Kui. Before it was known as Kandhamal, the area was known as Kuidina. By deleting Kui from the list, the Government has hurt our sentiments,” said Kanhar. “Instead of deleting it from the list, the Government should appoint better inspectors to differentiate the fake tribals from the real ones in Kandhamal.”