[ Bengia Ajum ]
NAMSAI, 8 Oct: A massive controversy is arising in Namsai district over the allegation of people belonging to the Mishing community allegedly adopting Adi surnames to acquire scheduled tribe (ST) status of Arunachal Pradesh.
Recently, the All Arunachal Pradesh Students’ Union opposed the Mishing community’s move to seek ST status in the state.
Now the All Tai Khamti Singpho Students’ Union (ATKKSU) has alleged that attempts are being made by members of the Mishing community of Namsai district to obtain ST status by changing their surnames.
Talking to this daily, ATKKSU president Branglin Injo informed that the union has submitted a memorandum to the DC in this regard and is awaiting a response before undertaking further course of action. “We have received information from various sources about this move. This is unfortunate and we will oppose such fraudulent attempts to get ST status,” he said.
He alleged that this attempt to change surnames is not only an affront to the integrity of the indigenous tribes of Arunachal Pradesh but also constitutes a violation of legal and constitutional safeguards. The ATKKSU in its memorandum to the DC has alleged that the Adi Bane Kebang (ABK), the apex body of the Adi tribe, facilitated such a move.
“Recently a meeting was held under the chairmanship of the president of the ABK, wherein a list of surnames was reportedly issued to facilitate the surname changes of Mishing community members to Adi surnames. We strongly assert that the ABK has no legal sanction, authority, or mandate to authorise or facilitate such change of surnames for any non-ST community in Arunachal Pradesh,” the union stated.
The ATKKSU added that merely changing surnames does not entitle any individual to gain ST status. “The act of attempting to obtain tribal benefits through surname changes is both fraudulent and illegal. Any such attempt bypasses the constitutional procedure and constitutes a direct violation of the Scheduled Tribes Order, 1950,” it added.
Further, it stated that the indigenous Tai Khamti and Singpho tribes and other scheduled tribes of Arunachal Pradesh are gravely concerned over this attempt to undermine the genuine rights and privileges of recognised ST communities.
The union has sought legal action against the persons involved in such fraudulent act, and rejected the move to change surnames to obtain ST status within Namsai district. “No further action should be taken in the matter without conducting proper public hearings,” it added.
Meanwhile, the ABK has clarified that it is not facilitating any group or individual in getting ST status in Namsai.
Talking to this daily, ABK general secretary Vijay Taram said that misinformation being circulated on social media is creating confusion among the people of the state. “There are some people in Namsai district who share a genealogy with various Adi clans. They have been living in that area since time immemorial, and are believed to have migrated from Adi areas before independence. Some of them have got ST status and some have not. Those who did not receive ST status approached the ABK, and accordingly, we decided to take some initiative to try helping them to find a solution,” said Taram.
The ABK has asked all those who share genealogy with Adi clans to submit their genealogy history to the ABK, so that it can be further verified. “The ABK president of Namsai unit prepared the genealogy and shared it on WhatsApp, which has become viral, claiming that the ABK is facilitating change of surnames to get ST, which is wrong. We will submit the genealogy claim submitted by them to the Adi clans, and a meeting will be conducted in Pasighat to verify their claims. If the claim is rejected by the majority of Adi clans, we will put an end to it,” he added.