SIC says no investigation into Hollongi airport issue yet; CRRC dismisses union’s fact-findings

ITANAGAR, 12 Apr: The Special Investigation Cell (SIC) on Tuesday issued a clarification, stating that it has not conducted any investigation into the Hollongi airport compensation issue.

It said that it received a complaint on 10 June, 2021, “filed through email addressed to the station house officer, Balijan police station, lodged by Ranjan Chakma and Paddha Sabha Chakma for misappropriation of fund meant for Chakma Mandir, which was received through the DSP, Yupia, and another complaint on 16 August, 2021, lodged jointly by Koruna Chakma and four others for embezzlement of fund meant for 156 Chakma families displaced by the Hollongi airport.”

In a press release, the SIC stated that “till date SIC has not conducted any enquiry or inquiry or investigation in connection with the concerned matter.

“As such, both the complaints were forwarded for seeking approval as required u/s 17 (A) of the PC Act,” it said.

The section provides that previous approval is required in relation to enquiry, inquiry or investigation into any offence allegedly committed by a public servant under this Act “where the alleged offence is relatable to any recommendation made or decision taken by such public servant.”

“It is also a false statement that SIC has sought for a prosecution sanction based on its preliminary findings. In absence of any initiation of any enquiry or inquiry or investigation, there is no question of seeking prosecution sanction u/s 197 CrPC, and in absence of any investigation, SIC has never commented anything on the embezzlement of fund,” it said, adding that the SIC is “always committed to free and fair investigation in any complaint attracting PC Act.”

Meanwhile, the Chakma Rehabilitation and Resettlement Committee (CRRC) on Tuesday said it has “concrete evidence” that the fact-finding report on the Hollongi airport, prepared by the Arunachal Pradesh Chakma Students Union (APCSU), was fake.

In a press release, the CRRC provided annexures containing a WhatsApp message from one Tejang Chakma, dated 5 February, 2021, along with a WhatsApp message from Drishya Muni Chakma, dated 8 April, 2022, a press statement issued by the APCSU on 9 April this year, a copy of the expulsion order of the APCSU, and a copy of the APCSU circular to boycott Rup Singh Chakma and others, to prove its point.

“As per the proof provided by the CRRC, the so-called fact-finding report was not prepared by the APCSU but was prepared by one Tejang Chakma, who works in a human rights office in Delhi, without visiting Papum Pare. On 5 February, 2021, Tejang Chakma prepared and sent the said fact-finding report via WhatsApp to Drishya Muni Chakma, president, ACPSU. In his message to Drishya Muni Chakma, Tejang Chakma stated that he drafted the report, inserted fake information, ‘fine tuned’ it and sent the ‘final report’ of the fact-finding in Hollongi airport project,” the CRRC said.

“This fact has been confirmed by WhatsApp message of Drishya Muni Chakma dated 8 April, 2022, where he stated that it was Tejang Chakma who prepared the ‘final report’ and not by APCSU,” it said.

“Further, in a statement dated 9 April, 2022, the APCSU also clarified that the fact-finding report was not authored by the APCSU but by ‘a Chakma human rights activist based in Delhi’,” it said.

It said that, on 9 April, the APCSU issued a clarification stating that “APCSU president Drishya Muni Chakma with his team went to Papum Pare to conduct educational and child trafficking/and drug abuse awareness campaign. But the Delhi-based human rights activist, due to his personal agenda against some Chakma social workers, prepared a fake report and asked the APCSU president to print on letterhead, sign it and release to the public. But when the APCSU president Drishya Muni Chakma refused to sign the fake report, the same was distributed to the Committee for Citizenship Rights of Chakmas and Hajongs of Arunachal Pradesh without the consent of the APCSU by unscrupulous persons connected to the said Delhi-based human rights activist.”

“Not only the fact-finding report is fake, but even the APCSU headed by Rup Singh Chakma is also fake and illegal organisation. Rup Singh Chakma and two others, namely, Sumangal Chakma and Pranab Chakma, had been expelled from the APCSU on 27 February, due to anti-organisational activities against the APCSU. They were investigated by a nine-member disciplinary action committee, which recommended their expulsion. So the APCSU central committee expelled them for three years from the primary membership of APCSU with immediate effect.

“After their expulsion, they formed an illegal body in the name of Arunachal Pradesh Chakma Students Union, under the presidentship of Rup Singh Chakma. This illegal organisation (APCSU) was formed via a virtual meeting participated by four or five persons,” the CRRC said.

“Following the formation of illegal and duplicate APCSU, the APCSU Delhi NCR on 21 March issued a circular asking the Chakma community residing in Delhi NCR region (Delhi, Noida and Gurgaon) to socially and physically boycott Rup Singh Chakma and his team members for creating divisions within the Chakma community and playing dirty politics. Now, the illegal APCSU headed by Rup Singh Chakma is misusing the fake fact-finding report for vested interests,” it added.

“From all available concrete evidence, it is confirmed that the so-called fact-finding report on the Hollongi airport is fake which was prepared by one Tejang Chakma at the behest of his masters by sitting in AC rooms in Delhi without visiting Papum Pare. They wrote whatever their wild imaginations wanted to write on the Hollongi airport project; hence, the report is devoid of any merit or credibility. It is a fake report and should be treated as such. It is a well-planned conspiracy hatched by a small group of people led by an outsider to defame and stall the Hollongi airport. The government of Arunachal Pradesh must take this conspiracy seriously and urgently investigate the authors of this fake fact-finding report and all others who are part of this conspiracy,” said CRRC president Bijoy Ranjan Chakma.