Dear Editor,
The Bengal Eastern Frontier Regulation (BEFR), 1873, under the 33rd Victoria Chapter 3, Clause 1 to 3, clearly states that any person (mainland Indian or foreigner) cannot go beyond Arunachal unless an ILP under the hand and seal of a chief executive officer is granted to that person. Violation of this shall invite imprisonment of upto a year.
Furthermore, in accordance with the Chin Hills Regulation (CHR), 1896, under Section 22, Clause 1, states that the presence of any person who is not a native of Arunachal is injurious to peace or good administration of the area. Thus, any violation regarding Clause 1 is to be punished with imprisonment upto six months, as per Section 23.
Even the British, known for their cruelty, knew that the northeastern states needed to be separated from mainland India or foreigners in order to protect the indigenous people and their traditions from extinction.
In fact, Arunachal is the only unique state in India having a vast variety of tribes, and each tribe has its own language, and to communicate with other tribes, we use Hindi as a mode of communication, which is distinctive in itself.
Conversely, the government of India, through the Citizenship [Amendment] Bill (CAB), 2016, decided to grant citizenship to persons belonging to minority communities like Hindus, Sikhs, Jains, Parsis, and Christians from Afghanistan, Bangladesh and Pakistan who have resided in India for at least six years. Only a fool would believe that what the government is saying will not affect our state.
Well, perhaps the Arunachal government is so dead afraid of losing its bond with the fastest growing individual of the country, Mr Modi, that it cannot oppose the CAB openly, unlike other NE states.
It is known to all what happened with the PRC issue several months ago, but the agitation of which, though concentrated only in the capital complex, had a huge impact on the state.
I hope the government of India understands the sentiment of the indigenous people, and if the CAB is passed, the would-be citizens should be allocated beyond our borders, and, more importantly, the BEFR, 1873, and the CHR, 1896, must be incorporated in the constitution as a law to protect our identity as indigenous tribes of eastern India.
Sincerely,
Bamang Hawayi