The Arunachal Indigenous Tribes Forum (AITF), the apex tribal body of the state, reelected Dr Bengia Tolum as the president and engineer Tapi Tai as the new general secretary during the recent two-day conference held in Itanagar. Both Tolum and Tai are seasoned social workers and are experienced in this field. The duo assumes the leadership role of the AITF at a very critical stage. In recent times the state has gone through a very difficult time. The APPSCE paper leak case is still a burning issue. The demand for null and void of the examinations conducted by the commission since 2014 by the PAJSC has deeply divided the people of the state.
Further, the religious churning over issues like Tawang church too has divided the tribal community. Apart from these, there are several other issues deeply concerning the people of the state. The AITF can play a crucial role in uniting the people of the state. On issues like Tawang church and demand for null and void, the apex tribal body can mediate and help to at least calm down the tension. Of course these matters will either be decided by the state government or in the court of law, but still the AITF can help to ease social tension by engaging in meaningful dialogue with both sides. During the conference, the AITF also announced that it is going to start a strong movement against the drugs menace. This is truly appreciable and it should be taken up on a large scale, involving all stakeholders. The drug menace is destroying the younger generation and there is a need for a strong movement against it.