Arunachal's Yobin community raises concern over Panchayat rights granted to non-APST settlers in Vijoynagar

The Yobin community of Vijoynagar has voiced strong concerns over what they describe as a continuing injustice, the inclusion of Non-APST settlers in the local Panchayat system, which they say violates existing laws and tribal safeguards in Arunachal Pradesh.

According to the community, the Non-APST settlers currently residing in Vijoynagar were originally brought in as 30-year lease-holders, a term that ended in 2020. These settlers include people from Nepali, Kachari, Punjabi, Kuki, Mizo, Garhwali, Kumaoni, and Bihari communities, many of whom were settled in the area as retired Assam Rifles personnel.

The Yobins stress that the claim that settlers existed before them or “discovered” their community is baseless. The 1961 Census recorded the entire population of Vijoynagar—781 people—as strictly Yobin, confirming their indigenous presence. The Yobins were first reached by the 7th Assam Rifles in 1961, while settlers arrived later between 1969 and 1972 as part of the Fourth Five-Year Plan. These facts, they say, are clearly documented in public records.

The Yobin community points out that the Panchayati Raj system in Arunachal Pradesh is meant only for indigenous Scheduled Tribe (ST) communities, in accordance with:

The Bengal Eastern Frontier Regulation (BEFR) 1873,

The Arunachal Pradesh Panchayati Raj Act and Rules, and

Constitutional protections provided to tribal populations.

They refer to a State Government notification dated June 2, 2019, which includes Form-4 requiring each applicant to declare:
“I am an ordinary indigenous local resident of Arunachal Pradesh.”

The community argues that this statement alone makes it clear that Non-APST settlers are not eligible to vote or participate in Panchayat-level governance.

The Yobin community has urged the authorities to rectify the issue and uphold the legal safeguards meant for indigenous tribal groups in the region.