The Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) following a complaint by the Chakma Development Foundation of India (CDFI) has intervened against “racial profiling” of Chakma and Hajong people in Arunachal Pradesh through an exclusive census of both the communities.
CDFI leader Subhas Chakma on December 11 said that in a letter to Arunachal Pradesh chief secretary, the PMO has directed the state government for appropriate action against the complaint, and inform it on the matter.
There are about 65,000 Chakma and Hajong people in the state out of which about 4,500 are migrants of 1964 to 1969, while the rest are the descendants and citizens by birth under the Citizenship Act of 1955.
Subhas Chakma said that the PMO has registered the complaint filed by the CDFI on December 2 against racial profiling of the Chakma and Hajong communities in Arunachal Pradesh through an exclusive census of both the communities from December 11 to 31 in clear violations of their right to life including the right to privacy and the right to equality.
The Chakma Development Foundation of India (CDFI) had termed the exclusive census of the Chakma and Hajong communities only in the state as an act of racial profiling because there is no census on the illegal immigrants from Myanmar and China, the illegal immigrants who had entered through Assam as well as thousands of people who had entered Arunachal Pradesh without inner line permit.
On the contrary, the Chakma and Hajong communities were settled by the Indian government during 1964 to 1969 to permanently settle them in the state and they do not require Inner Line Permits.
“The Government of India seeks solution to the Chakma-Hajong issues arising out of non-implementation of the Supreme Court judgments, denial of the Panchayati Raj, denial of most government schemes including food security and prohibition on employment including as general candidates. However, this attempt to find a solution to the Chakma-Hajong issue in Arunachal Pradesh is not a license for committing more grave human rights violations,” Subhas Chakma said.
