Arunachal: Chakma students' union demands Amit Shah to grant citizenship to to Chakma-Hajongs

ITANAGAR: The Arunachal Pradesh Chakma Students’ Union (APCSU) has submitted a memorandum to Home Minister Amit Shah seeking Indian citizenship to 4,627 Chakma and Hajong migrants in the state.

The Chakma and Hajong migrants' applications are pending at the Ministry of Home Affairs seeking citizenship.

In the memorandum, it was mentioned that 14,888 Chakma-Hajongs from the Hindu and Buddhist communities entered India between 1964 and 1966 from East Pakistan.

The union has urged Shah to facilitate and allow enrollment of all eligible Chakma and Hajong voters in the electoral rolls.

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“provide and include Chakma-Hajongs in the central government welfare schemes like MGNREGA, PMJJBY, PMSBY, etc, and any other schemes/measures which your honour deem fit and proper for the uplift of the Chakma-Hajongs, keeping in view their systematic denial and deprivation for the last six decades,” said the union in its memorandum.

The APCSU in a press release said, "the Supreme Court in its judgment on 9 January 1996, directed the Centre to grant citizenship to the Chakmas and Hajongs in Arunachal under the Citizenship Act, 1955. Similarly, it said, on 17 September 2015, the Supreme Court once again directed the Centre to process the pending 4,627 citizenship applications and grant citizenship to eligible Chakmas and Hajongs of Arunachal within three months."

“However, the said direction has not been complied with and getting delayed for one reason or the other,” the union added.

APCSU president Drishya Muni Chakma said, “Shah had indicated two years ago that the Chakma-Hajong problem will be resolved before October 2020. We seek his urgent intervention in granting citizenship to 4,627 and also ensure that those who got citizenship are able to enjoy all facilities and rights.”

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