Staff Reporter
ITANAGAR, 21 Jun: Demanding a public apology from the Border Roads Organization (BRO) for covering up Arunachal’s name with white paste ahead of the defence minister’s road inauguration ceremony at Kimin on 17 June, All Arunachal Pradesh Students’ Union (AAPSU) president Hawa Bagang on Monday threatened to shut down all BRO camps and offices across the state if it fails to apologize.
“If the BRO fails to tender an apology to the people of Arunachal, the AAPSU will shut down all BRO camps and offices established across the state,” Bagang said.
He informed that the AAPSU is holding a meeting on Tuesday over the Kathan Chakma-Hajong and the Kimin issues, and that an FIR would be lodged against the BRO chief engineer after the meeting.
Taking a dig at the government of India over the covering up of Arunachal’s name, Bagang said that the incident appeared to be pre-planned to avoid China’s reaction.
The AAPSU president stated that on 12 June, BRO official Pramod Kumar wrote a letter to the Papum Pare deputy commissioner, informing that the inauguration ceremony would be held at ‘Bilgarh’ Assam, whereas the programme was later held at the ITBP Recruit Training Centre in Kimin.
“The most suspicious issue is, every signboard where ‘Arunachal Pradesh’ is written, including the Subansiri Gate, which was inaugurated by the then chief minister Gegong Apang, was covered with white paste. If you are so scared of China, why did the union defence minister come to Arunachal to inaugurate the road project?” Bagang questioned.
“How can a state be made to disappear in its own place? We want an inquiry into this whole episode and the AAPSU demands that the BRO chief engineer apologize to the people of Arunachal Pradesh for such blunder,” Bagang added.
The AAPSU president also questioned the Papum Pare DC for not rectifying the mistake, since the BRO official had written the letter to him on 12 June. “I also question DC Papum Pare, ADC Kimin, what were they doing, why didn’t they rectify the mistake and inform it to the state government? I saw the CM’s statement, wherein he said that he too was not aware,” Bagang said.
