Staff Reporter
ITANAGAR, Jul 21: The Students Union Movement of All Arunachal (SUMAA) on Saturday denied allegation that its members served extortion notices to the business community and government officials in West Kameng HQ Bomdila during the organization’s recent drive there against the Tibetan Rehabilitation Policy (TRP), 2014.
Scores of signatories from the business community of Bomdila on Saturday submitted a representation to the West Kameng deputy commissioner, accusing SUMAA members of indulging in antisocial activities like extortion, forcibly shutting down shops, and creating a fear psychosis among the business community of Bomdila.
The signatories sought an inquiry into the matter, and demanded strict action against the SUMAA members.
Addressing a press conference at the press club here, SUMAA general secretary Suraj Ligu
termed the allegation “baseless and untrue.”
“We had a meeting with the (Bomdila) market committee on 16 July, and there was no such issue raised by them,” Ligu said.
He said the authority may arrest any member of the SUMAA who resorted to unlawful activities like extorting money from the business community and government officials in Bomdila.
SUMAA president Tagru Tame said the business community’s allegation was “nothing more than a political gimmick by Chief Minister Pema Khandu, MoS for Home Kiren Rijiju and the MLAs of West Kameng district to derail the TRP issue.
“SUMAA is gaining momentum and widespread support from all quarters against illegal Tibetan refugees who are availing dual benefit and possessing illegal documents. That is why such allegations against us are doing the rounds,” Tame said.
The SUMAA launched a protest movement against Tibetan refugees in West Kameng who possess permanent structures outside their designated settlement areas, fake trading licences, permanent residential certificates, and Scheduled Tribe certificates alongside their refugee cards.
The organization is demanding immediate rollback of the TRP (particularly the 20% job quota that the policy provides for), and trading licences and land lease rights issued to Tibetan refugees, and a written assurance from the central Tibetan administration not to claim Indian citizenship and Scheduled Tribe status in Arunachal Pradesh. It has also sought a dossier on the Tibetan refugees residing in West Kameng.
The organization has also submitted a list of 14 Tibetan refugees’ names to the district administration for verification, expressing apprehension that these 14 Tibetans have illegal Scheduled Tribe certificates, trading licences and permanent residential certificates validating them as indigenous people.
The organization has served a 15-day ultimatum to district administration to verify the individuals’ names and backgrounds.
