Residential proof certificates issued to Chakma, Hajong in Arunachal suspended

The Arunachal Pradesh government has suspended residential proof certificates (RPCs) issued to Chakma and Hajong communities in Changlang district, a move termed as an infringement of basic rights by the two communities.

An order issued by Kaling Tayeng, commissioner (political) of Changlang district, on Sunday also stayed further issuance of the document.

“The government of Arunachal Pradesh has decided to suspend all Residential Proof Certificates (RPCs) issued in Changlang district with immediate effect. Further, it has also been decided to suspend the issue of fresh Residential Proof Certificates (RPCs) forthwith,” the order, which has been reviewed by HT, said.

Unlike permanent residence certificates, RPCs are temporary documents issued to persons residing in a particular place.

In Arunachal Pradesh, RPCs are issued to members of Chakma and Hajong communities who are yet to be granted Indian citizenship, don’t possess documents like passports and are not included in voter lists. The RPCs help them to pursue higher education in other states and join paramilitary forces.

Also read: Five bodies of missing Assam workers found in Arunachal Pradesh

The order on suspension of RPCs came amid growing demands that members of the two communities leave the state. Most indigenous organisations and tribal groups in the northeastern state believe Chakmas and Hajongs are illegal migrants and want them out of Arunachal Pradesh.

On Saturday, the state government constituted a five-member committee headed by Opak Gao, secretary (food and civil supplies), to inquire into issuance of RPCs in Changlang.

The All Arunachal Pradesh Students Union (AAPSU), the state’s most influential student body, had threatened to launch a strike from August 3 over issuance of the certificate to the two communities. Following the formation of the committee, which also comprises two AAPSU members, the student body decided to temporarily call off their stir. The committee is expected to submit its report within 15 days.

“The Changlang district administration was issuing RPCs to Chakmas and Hajongs since 1982 whereas there was no such directive from the Supreme Court. The committee will inquire how the RPCs were issued,” AAPSU vice president (protocol) Nabam Gandhi said in Itanagar on Sunday.

The Arunachal Pradesh Chakma Students Union (APCSU) said the latest government order will destroy the future of the youth. “Denying RPCs to the youth will deprive them from their basic rights, such as education and taking admission in various universities and colleges,” outfit president Drishya Muni Chakma said.

A total of 14,888 Chakmas (who are Buddhists) and Hajongs (who practice Hinduism) migrated to India to escape religious persecution in Chittagong Hills Tract (CHT) of Bangladesh (then undivided East Pakistan) between 1964 and 1966.

These refugees were settled by the Government of India in North East Frontier Agency (NEFA) (now Arunachal Pradesh) under a “Definite Plan of Rehabilitation” by allotting permanent land and financial assistance depending upon their size of family to enable them to rebuild their lives.

Though both communities initially enjoyed several rights and facilities, including government employment, several privileges were withdrawn by successive governments in the state over the years.

As per 2011 census, there are 47,471 Chakmas and Hajongs in the state of which nearly 90% have got citizenship by birth under Section 3 of the Citizenship Act, 1955. However, the applications of 4,627 for citizenship have been pending for years.

In January 1996, the Supreme Court directed the Centre to grant citizenship to members of both communities as per provisions of Citizenship Act, 1995.

Hearing another petition, the top court in September 2015 directed the Centre to process pending citizenship applications of 4,627 Chakma and Hajong residents within three months. The said direction has not been complied with yet.

Also read: Body of 1 Assam labourer missing from Arunachal found; 18 others untraceable

In 2017, the Centre had decided to grant citizenship to nearly 100,000 Chakma and Hajong refugees residing in the northeastern states for over 50 years now.

Chief minister Pema Khandu, however, strongly objected to the decision as he pointed out that Arunachal Pradesh is a predominantly tribal state where the Constitution has provided special safeguards to protect the rights of indigenous people from outsiders.

He also accused Chakmas and Hajongs of “creating law and order problems” and encroaching over 7,000 hectares of forest and government land.

The state assembly also adopted a resolution in 2017 with members cutting across party lines saying granting citizenship to Chakmas and Hajongs would alter the state’s demography. They asked the Centre to protect the rights of the tribal population while considering citizenship to Chakmas and Hajongs.