PMO takes note of the Chakma-Hajong complaint of racial profiling in Arunachal

By Jon Pebi Tato

STATE: On 2nd  December 2021 the Chakma Community of Arunachal Pradesh received support from the CDFI (Chakma Development Foundation of India) to bolster them wherein the said Forum filed a complaint to the PMO in connection to the racial profiling against the community of the Chakmas and Hajongs Community of Arunachal Pradesh through an exclusive census of both communities from December 11-31.

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The Deputy Commissioner of Changlang district had on November 26 notified the “census of Chakmas and Hajongs 2021”, which the CDFI said was in clear violation of their right to life, including the right to privacy and the right to equality.

However, the Deputy Commissioner has denied such a notification.

The PMO wrote to the State’s Chief Secretary on December 7 seeking appropriate action on the complaint and informing it on the matter.

The Chakma Development Foundation of India further expressed that, "There are about 65,000 Chakmas and Hajongs in the State; about 4,500 are migrants from 1964 to 1969. The rests are descendants and citizens by birth under Section 3 of the Citizenship Act of 1955"

Why did CDFI call the census Racial Profiling?

CDFI had earlier mentioned that the communities were primarily displaced by the Kaptai dam in the Chittagong Hill Tracts of present-day Bangladesh, then called East Pakistan, since then the Indian government has given refuge in the country wherein the communities who migrated as early as the 1960s were given citizenship and today their descendants are inevitably facing the brunt of racial profilings being citizens of India.

The CDFI had termed the exclusive Chakma-Hajong census 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 (ILP)”.

“CDFI sternly slammed those who still entitled the Chakmas and Hajongs as a refugee who was settled by the Union of India from 1964 to 1969 to permanently settle them in the State and most importantly  they do not require ILP,” 

The Chakma students union leader while speaking to the SPACE also had mentioned that the Communities have been participating in the adult franchise and have been electing political leaders through the country's law enshrined as per the election commission of India, yet have to face the brunt of being called as "refugee", "outsider".

CDFI also mentioned the recent hullabaloo of the "deportation" which they alleged that as totally "bogus" & and a "political gimmick".

As of now, PMO has sought to intervene  & has registered the complaint received by CDFI.

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