Citizenship Verdict and Refugees
- Hueiyen Lanpao Editorial :: October 26 2015 -

The Government of India, particularly the Union Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) will find it difficult to free itself from a sensitive refugee wrangle in Arunachal Pradesh.

It has been reported that the MHA will be holding a meeting soon to arrive at an acceptable outcome on the Chakma and Hajong refugee issue in Arunachal Pradesh.

The decision of the MHA reportedly came as a response to a memorandum submitted by the State’s all powerful All Arunachal Pradesh Students’ Union or AAPSU demanding deportation of Chakma and Hajong refugees from the State.

Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh told a joint delegation of AAPSU and Core Committee on Refugee issue that MHA will hold a meeting within 10-15 days in order to get an acceptable outcome for the indigenous people of the State.

Union Minister of State for Home Affairs Kiren Rijiju, who hails from Arunachal Pradesh, is well aware of the situation arising out of the refugee problem in the State.

He said that the Government of India is taking serious note of the recent Supreme Court verdict granting citizenship to the Chakma and Hajong refugees in the State.

However, the AAPSU seems not really convinced of the Government of India’s motive on the issue.

It may be recalled that AAPSU had already launched a decades-long movement against the settlement of Chakmas and Hajongs who the people of Arunachal Pradesh consider are foreign refugees.

The sensitivity of the issue can be gauged from the comment made by AAPSU General Secretary Biru Nasi who said that the people of the State were ready to die for the country but “will never accept annihilation from our own land by imposing refugees on us.”

Since the people of the State have rejected the Apex Court’s verdict, nothing much is known on what steps the Government of India is contemplating.

As expected, AAPSU has already started questioning some politicians in the State for their silence over the issue.

It may be recalled that the Supreme Court on September 18 directed the Government of India and Arunachal Pradesh Government to grant citizenship within three months to Chakmas and Hajongs refugees who migrated to India from Bangladesh in 1964-69 and settled in the state.