ITANAGAR, Dec 16: Chief Minister Pema Khandu on Monday said the provisions of the Citizenship (Amendment) Act (CAA), 2019, will not apply to Arunachal as the entire state is covered under the inner line notified under the Bengal Eastern Frontier Regulation, 1873.
However, the state government is examining the CAA and will come up with its official position at the earliest, he said.
The CM said this during a meeting with members of the All Arunachal Pradesh Students’ Union (AAPSU), who called on him here, seeking the “official status of the government of Arunachal on the Chakma-Hajong refugees illegally settled in Arunachal Pradesh, following the enactment of the Citizenship (Amendment) Act, 2019.”
During the meeting, the CM informed the AAPSU team, led by its president Hawa Bagang, that the implementation of the inner line permit (ILP) system in the state will be strengthened and strictly monitored.
“Instructions have already been issued to the chief secretary and the director general of police to carry out strict implementation of the ILP in the entire state,” he said.
Meanwhile, in a press release, the AAPSU quoted North East Students’ Organisation (NESO) chairman Samuel Jrywa, who is currently camping in New Delhi, as stating that the petition filed by the NESO in the Supreme Court against the passing of the citizenship amendment bill, which is now the CAA, has been accepted.
There will be a hearing on the petition on 18 December, it said.
The union also urged the state government to clear the confusion prevailing in the state over the CAA.
“The state government should immediately clear the official status of the Chakma- Hajong refugees illegally settled in Arunachal Pradesh after passing of the citizenship amendment bill (now the CAA). There has to be clarity whether these refugees shall automatically become Indian citizens or whether there will be no change in their status,” the AAPSU stated.
The union said it would not accept the CAA at any cost.
The AAPSU also urged the state government to immediately constitute an empowered study group to “look into the matter of offspring of non-APST fathers and APST mothers enjoying APST and other benefits.”
“This group should also study the quantum of punishment to be fixed for those issuing/certifying APST to such individuals,” the union said.
It further urged the government to introduce a “stringent legislation” in the state assembly during the coming assembly session on the issue of offspring of non-APST fathers and APST mothers enjoying APST and other benefits. (With input from CM’s PR Cell)
