Itanagar:
The Chakmas and Hajongs, on August 6, staged a peaceful demonstration in Diyun of Changlang District against the state administration for allegedly denying the issuance of ‘Residential Proof Certificates (RPCs) to them, a move initiated as part of the “state policy to throw them out of Arunachal Pradesh”.
Hundreds of refugees joined the protest to demand the resumption of the process to issue RPCs. The sit-in coincided with the visit of a five-member enquiry team to Diyun.
Addressing the gatherings, the Spokesperson of the Chakma Hajong Rights Alliance – Krishna Chakma noted that “the denial of the RPCs is nothing but the continuation of the racial profiling of the Chakmas and Hajongs.
”We will not accept kangaroo justice where the AAPSU has become the complainant, investigator, prosecutor and judge – all rolled into one. This is not something allowed in a country governed by the rule of law.”
Notably, Chief Minister Pema Khandu-led administration on July 30 constituted the panel, comprising of three bureaucrats and two representatives of the All Arunachal Pradesh Students’ Union (AAPSU) for probing the issuance of the RPCs to at least 500 Chakmas and Hajongs.