Chakma-Hajongs face bleak future as Arunachal suspends residence proof

The BJP government in Arunachal Pradesh is all set to further curtail the rights of Buddhist and Hindu refugee communities settled in the state for more than six decades. This at a time when the saffron party claims to be committed to grant citizenship to Hindus, Sikhs, Buddhists, Jains, Parsis and Christians from Bangladesh, Pakistan and Afghanistan.

In a recent order, the state government suspended residential proof certificates (RPCs) issued to Chakma and Hajong communities in Changlang district.

Also read: India to submit report on Arunachal’s Chakmas-Hajongs to UN anti-racism body

The move will deprive most of the youths from the refugee communities of their rights to pursue higher education and get government jobs, particularly in the armed forces.

The RPCs were issued in the state to members of Chakma and Hajong communities who are not yet enrolled in voter lists and are not granted Indian citizenship. Out of the 65,875 Chakmas and Hajongs in the state, only 5,097 of them have voting rights, according to a figure the state government furnished in 2020.

The Changlang deputy commissioner, in an order earlier this month, said all the RPCs issues in the district “stand cancelled.” “Temporary Settlement Certificate (TSC) to be issued to genuine Chakma-Hajong inhabitants of the district in lieu of residential proof certificate as per approved format… by the concerned deputy commissioner/ADCs/SDOs only,” the order dated November 14 said.

‘Order opens old wounds’

The order came following protest by influential All Arunachal Pradesh Students Union (AAPSU) over issuance of RPCs to members of the two communities whom they consider illegal migrants. The AAPSU and other tribal bodies have been demanding expulsion of the two communities from Arunachal Pradesh.

The Chakmas (mostly Buddhists) and Hajongs (mostly Hindus) fled the Chittagong Hill Tracts of then East Pakistan (now Bangladesh) in the 1960s. India gave settlement to a group of Chakma-Hajong refugees in sparsely populated Arunachal Pradesh, raising fear among local tribes that they would be “swamped” by outsiders and their ancestral land would be taken over.

Even though Chakmas-Hajongs were given settlement by the Centre, they were not granted any citizenship rights in Arunachal Pradesh though almost the majority of their present day population were born in the state.

Stating that the recent order once again opened the old wounds, Chakma bodies claim it would deprive the communities of their basic rights. “The entire process started with illegality and ended with illegality. On July 11 2022, a team of AAPSU visited the Office of the Extra Assistant Commissioner, Diyun and inspected official records which under the law, a non-state actor cannot perform. On July 18 2022, AAPSU submitted a charter of demands to Arunachal Pradesh Chief Minister Pema Khandu including cancellation of the RPCs and booking the officials and local MLA under National Security Act,” said president of Arunachal Pradesh Chakma Students Union, Rup Singh Chakma, giving a chronology of the latest development.

On July 30 2022, the Arunachal Pradesh government issued a notification constituting a five-member committee chaired by Secretary (Food and Civil Supplies) including two members from AAPSU to verify the RPCs. On July 31 2022, the state government suspended the issuance of fresh RPCs in Changlang district and now, altogether cancelled the RPCs,” he added.

Also read: Arunachal stares at students’ stir as govt rakes up Chakma-Hajong issue

The cancellation of RPCs is an attempt to deny members of the Chakma-Hajong communities their basic rights to education and employment, said Santosh Chakma, president of the Committee for Citizens Rights of the Chakmas and Hajongs of Arunachal Pradesh. It will be difficult even to get an Aadhaar card with the TSC, he added.

Why CAA narrative doesn’t fit in

The Arunachal government’s decision is contrary to BJP’s stand on the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) that promised to grant citizenship to minorities of Bangladesh, Pakistan and Afghanistan, stated Santosh Chakma.

“It has been proved again that the CAA is just a political tool for the BJP. It is a fallacy that the government led by a party that talks about implementing CAA is not even issuing residential proof certificates to Chakmas and Hajongs born in Arunachal Pradesh,” he alleged.

The action of the Arunachal Pradesh government on the RPC issue is a blatant violation of Sabka Saath Sabka Vikas as announced by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, stated Suhas Chakma, founder of the Chakma Development Foundation of India (CDFI).

Also read: Before COVID, Chakma, Hajong tribes of Arunachal battled stormy migration