ITANAGAR, 13 Aug: The Simong Community Youth Association (SCYA) has expressed unhappiness over the delay in arresting the BJP’s Arunachal Pradesh state general secretary (organisation) Ananta Narayan Mishra and three others for allegedly indulging in unlawful activities at the disputed Eko Dumbing/Riwotala area in Upper Siang district.
The Yingkiong police have so far arrested Chime Yangsang Pemakod Welfare Society president Michung Khampa, who is alleged to have invited Mishra and arranged the whole trekking expedition to the Eko Dumbing/Riwotala area.
The SCYA, which lodged an FIR at the Yingkiong police station, alleged that Mishra, along with a few others, visited the disputed Eko Dumbing/Riwotala area and constructed a structure, “thereby breaching the order of district administration not to carry out any activities in the area without permission of the administration.”
In a release, the SCYA while seeking early arrest of the remaining persons stated that “Justice delayed is justice denied.”
It alleged that Mishra “is openly roaming around and attending BJP programmes in Itanagar, even though there is an FIR against him.”
“The state government and the BJP party are showing utter disrespect to us by allowing Mishra to openly roam around. Is he above the law?” the SCYA questioned.
It also appealed to the ABK, the AdiSU, the Abotani Student Federation, members of Abotani clans and other CBOs/NGOs to intervene in the case.
“Our religious sentiments have been hurt by the illegal visit to Eko Dumbing last month by the people mentioned in the FIR and their other members. There is an attempt going on to snatch our traditional land,” the SCYA alleged.
It alleged that “the persons mentioned in the FIR violated the agreement reached between the Adi and the Memba-Khamba communities (at the initiative of the state government) to maintain peace by refraining from carrying out any kind of activity in the disputed Eko Dumbing/Riwotala area.”
Eko Dumbing, also known as Riwotala, is considered to be a sacred place for both the Memba-Khamba Buddhist communities and the Adi community of Upper Siang. There is a running dispute between the tribes, and the administration has banned any kind of activities in the area due to constant religious disputes.
