Won't cooperate with any "illegal census", says Chakma-Hajong body

NEW DELHI: The Committee for Citizenship Rights of the Chakmas and Hajongs of Arunachal Pradesh (CCRCHAP) today stated that Chakmas and Hajongs shall not cooperate with any "illegal census."

The response comes a day after the All Arunachal Pradesh Students Union (AAPSU) that the Chief Secretary of Arunachal Pradesh has been instructed by Chief Minister Pema Khandu to conduct the census of the Chakmas and Hajongs of Arunachal Pradesh.

“No Chakma and Hajong shall cooperate with any illegal census. Any census on them must meet the litmus test of complying with Article 14 and Article 21 of the Constitution of India and the 1996 Supreme Court judgment in the case of National Human Rights Commission of India Vs State of Arunachal Pradesh & Anr," said Santosh Chakma, General Secretary of the CCRCHAP.

“About 95% of the Chakmas and Hajongs are citizens of India by birth and they cannot be discriminated in any manner. Further, the Supreme Court in its order of 1996 unequivocally stated while the application of any individual Chakma migrant of 1964-1969 is pending consideration," stated Tejang Chakma, Joint Secretary of the CCRCHAP. "The State of Arunachal Pradesh shall not evict or remove the concerned person from his occupation on the ground that he is not a citizen of India until the competent authority has taken a decision in that behalf," he added.

“The Chakmas and Hajongs reserve the right to approach the Supreme Court in case of violations of Article 14 and Article 21 of the Constitution of India and the judgment of 1996," added Santosh Chakma.

The Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) has already registered a complaint filed by the Chakma Development Foundation of India (CDFI) on December 2 against racial profiling of Chakmas and Hajongs in Arunachal Pradesh through an exclusive census of both the communities from December 11-31.

The Deputy Commissioner of Arunachal Pradesh’s 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.

It needs mention here that the Chakmas and Hajongs were primarily displaced by the Kaptai dam in the Chittagong Hill Tracts of present-day Bangladesh, then called East Pakistan.

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