Editor,
The Chakma and Hajong were settled in the 1960s in parts of Changlang and Papum Pare districts of Arunachal Pradesh after they had fled Chittagong Hill Tracts of present Bangladesh following an ethnic clash and a dam disaster. Since then, they have been living as refugees in Arunachal.
Recently, union minister Kiren Rijiju sparked controversy when he announced the relocation of Chakma and Hajong from Arunachal to Assam.
On the one hand, for the indigenous tribes of Arunachal, the Chakma and Hajong communities have been fighting for citizenship rights, and granting citizenship to these refugees would destroy the demographic and cultural integrity of the state. Resettlement is a solution. However, the Chakma community expressed their unwillingness to relocate. “The Chakma community came here (Arunachal) in 1964. This land is our mother. We were born here and will die in this land,” they say.
On the other hand, Assam CM Himanta Biswa Sarma claimed that the government of India had not engaged in any such discussions with Assam authorities. He attributed Rijiju’s remarks to the political dynamics in Arunachal and expressed uncertainty about the veracity of the claims. The Axom Nagarik Samaj (ANS) and the Prabajan Virodhi Manch also expressed concerns over the proposal to shift Chakma and Hajong refugees from Arunachal to Assam, arguing that it would destroy Assam’s indigenous communities in Charaideo, Tinsukia, Dibrugarh, Dhemaji, Lakhimpur, Biswanath, Sonitpur, and Udalguri.
The promises made during the election have brought uncertainty and fear to the Chakma and Hajong people, and also increased the risk of unpleasant incidents in the community. Where should they go? How should their citizenship issue be resolved? How should the welfare of indigenous tribes be ensured?
Sharma Avyaan