(Published in The Sentinel ARUNACHAL)
Jarpum Gamlin
Y et again, Chakma-Hajong refugees in Arunachal Pradesh have attempted to repeat their gruesome act of hurting indigenous tribals of Arunachal Pradesh on August 9 last. On August 11 last, exasperated Home Minister of Arunachal Pradesh Tako Dabi said that morometey Choli aasey. Aru Sajya nokoribo meaning ‘we are administering on humanitarian ground. We will not tolerate anymore.’ Aptly, he drove home the official stand of government of Arunachal Pradesh to the ‘troublesome’ Chakma-Hajong refugees.
Arunachal Pradesh - the land which has provided them ‘home-away-from –homeland’ for more than 4 decades is pained by their militant attitudes. In the past also they indulged in criminal act of murdering locals. Chakma-Hajong refugees have been perpetrating violence since 1978 when administrative head of Dayun, Circle Officer was murdered. Besides on and off unreported violence in-between, these Chakma-Hajong refugees murdered Nokkan Kimsing, Gaon Burah (GB) of Songking village and Innowla Singpho, Zilla Parishad Member (ZPM) of Dayun in 2004. Again, on June, 2005, 500 to 1000- strong mobs of Chakmas armed with all kind of weapons abducted Dayun range officer and his staff. These are few of their criminal indulgences which are reported and well documented.
Chakmas-Hajongs must realize that ‘stateless person or refugees’ have not too many takers in the world stage today. This is borne by the fact that the 1954 Convention Relating to the Status of Stateless Persons has attracted only thirty-seven signatories, and a mere fifteen countries have ratified the 1961 Convention on the Reduction of Statelessness. Chakmas-Hajongs must understand the statistics. Figure of 15 countries amounts to mere 8% of the 193 countries recognized by highest international body United Nations.
Unlike Tibetans refugees, Chakmas-Hajongs have miserably failed in acknowledging the love and care bestowed upon them by the Arunachalees since 1964. Government of India in general and state government of Arunachal Pradesh in particular has taken pain to provide them and their children with facilities like food, education, healthcare etc. Despite the out-of-way efforts from government side, Chakma-Hajong refugees are turning out to be headache in more than a way. One, over the years refugees have swelled in geometric progression like rats thus, moving out of their designated areas for want of more space was bound to happened; and in the process, they have illegally encroached into reserved forest land as well as private lands of indigenous tribals. Government of India too has admitted these facts and as latest as August 3 last, Union Minister of State for Home Affairs Mullappally Ramachandran informed the Lok Sabha about illegal encroachment by these Chakma-Hajong refugees.
Secondly, till last count in year 2005, there were about 45-odd families with ‘stay orders’ from court. Interestingly, these families could facilitate 957 new families to encroach into the forest lands within a year. Reportedly, these refugees are not from 1964 batch of refugees but are migrated from Lidu (Assam), Deban (Lohit), Mizoram and Tripura. On August 9 last, Bimal Kanti Chakma, one of the first refugees to arrive at Dayun designated areas conceded that newcomer Chakmas have been the cause of violence at Diyun. Talking about illegal encroachment, on May 30 last, Bilash Chandra Chakma senior leader and Block no. 1 Headman at Hollongi, Papumpare district also admitted that 1964 batch of refugee settlement area can’t tolerate any new influx of Chakmas because it’s impossible to accommodate them in the designated blocks. Chakmas like Bimal Kanti Chakma and Bilash Chandra Chakma too conceded that migration of refugees from Mizoram, Tripura and Bangladesh is continuing.
Third aspect is their linkage with ultras within and outside Indian state. So far, refugees’ ultra connection has been an open secret; but if yesterday’s statement of Arunachal’s Home Minister who is in loop of intelligence input, is to be interpreted correctly then Chakma-ultra connection is out in open now. It is despicable to note that Chakma-Hajong refugees, whom Arunachalees have fed and looked after so well for so many years, are terrorizing their host time and again. Arunachalees are fed up being pawned, with disregards to the locals aspirations, by GoI in its attempt to establish as big brother in South East Asia’s power-play with neighbouring countries like Burma, Bangladesh and China.
Fourth, Chakmas and Hajongs must bear in mind that they are from Bangladesh. In 1947 during partition, the Bengal Boundary Commission headed by Redcliff marked Chakma dominated Chittagong Hill Tracts (CHTs) to Pakistan, not Inida, in clear terms. If Chakmas-Hajongs are in India today it’s because they came as refugees. But dues to the refugees and foreigners have always been honoured by Arunachalees within the legal frame-work of the Constitution of India and in same breathe it is imperative to add that Chakma-Hajong refugees can’t demand the same rights at par with Arunachalees, under Indian Constitution. Chakmas-Hajongs must realize their limitations as refugees and should not equate them with Indian citizens like Arunachalees.
It is pertinent to mention that Chakma-Hajong leaders who have been actively educating on ‘human rights’ must educate their refugee brethrens about the Indian laws such as Inner Line Regulation Act, Special Status State, Bengal Regulation Act of 1873 etc. They must learn to respect the law of land and abide by it. And should and must stop terrorizing the innocent village folks without losing a second.
Recent ambush and attack on Arunachalees who had gone to register their complaints at Diyun were within their constitutional right to do so. Arunachalees have honoured and stood by the Supreme Court judgement of 9 January 1996 in the case NHRC vs State of Arunachal Pradesh that ‘except in accordance with law, the Chakmas shall not be evicted from their homes and shall not be denied domestic life and comfort therein.’ But Chakma and Hajongs are trying to taunt and instigate the Arunachalees so that they could knock the door of Human Rights forum at national and international levels, which they have done too many times. But peace loving Arunachalees would expect Chakma leaders like Bimal Kanti Chakma and Bilash Chandra Chakma to prevail upon the new migrants from Tripura, Mizoram and Bangladesh and would urge GoI to arrest the growth of rat like population multiplicity of Chakma-Hajongs in resource crunched
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