NEW DELHI, 25 Feb: The Chakma Development Foundation of India (CDFI) in a complaint on Friday urged the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) to invoke Section 13 of the Protection of Human Rights Act, 1993 to summon the union home secretary, the Arunachal Pradesh chief secretary and the Chongkham (Namsai) EAC to appear before the NHRC within four weeks “and explain the continuing racial profiling of the Chakmas without submitting the action taken report as per the directions issued by the NHRC on 24 January, 2022 in this particular case.”
“In its order dated 24 January, 2022, the NHRC while calling for action taken reports from the home secretary, government of India, New Delhi and the chief secretary, government of Arunachal Pradesh directed to ensure that human rights of the Chakmas and Hajongs are protected by all the ways,” it said in the complaint.
The CDFI claimed that the Chongkham EAC “first directed the gaon burahs of the Chakma villages under her jurisdiction to conduct the aforesaid census. When the effort failed, she summoned GB Sushil Chakma and 10 other Chakma individuals for a survey of Chakma residents under Chongkam circle at 11 am on 23 February. In the said meeting, the Chakma participants were allegedly intimidated and asked to cooperate with the survey without fail, in clear violation of the NHRC’s order.”
“The actions of the EAC constitute contempt of the directions issued by the NHRC on 24 January,” said CDFI founder Suhas Chakma.
He claimed that, “prior to approaching the Supreme Court against the state of Arunachal Pradesh and union of India, on 29 October, 1995, the NHRC recorded a prima facie conclusion that the officers of the state of Arunachal Pradesh were acting in coordination with the AAPSU with a view to expelling the Chakmas from the state of Arunachal Pradesh.”
“The NHRC stated that, since the state of Arunachal Pradesh was delaying the matter, and since it had doubts as to whether its own efforts would be sufficient to sustain the Chakmas in their own habitat, it had decided to approach the Supreme Court to seek appropriate reliefs,” Chakma added.
“The officials of the state of Arunachal Pradesh are once again playing the same game and repeating the history by holding the NHRC in contempt. If the efforts of the NHRC do not appear to be sufficient to sustain the Chakmas in their own habitat once again, the NHRC must approach the Supreme Court once again,” he said.
