ITANAGAR, 11 Dec: The Arunachal Pradesh Indigenous Youth Association (APIYO), along with the Indigenous Youth Force of Arunachal (IYFA) and the All Naharlagun Youth Organisation (ANYO) on Thursday thanked the public for cooperating with the capital bandh enforced by the organisations on 9 December.
Addressing a press conference at the press club here, IYFA chairman Kamta Phassang said that “if such support comes, a social revolution could take place.” He said although the public didn’t come on the ground, the cooperation could be seen in the complete shutdown and the absence of vehicular movement on the capital’s roads.
He expressed concern over why the state government did not respond to the several memorandums submitted to it.
“The organisations were supposed to hold a meeting with the home minister on 5 December.
However, in view of the BJP rally in Seppa (E/Kameng), the meeting had to be postponed by the home minister, due to which the 12-hour bandh was enforced,” Phassang said.
The three organisations sought immediate cancellation of illegal construction of mosques and madrasas within the Itanagar Capital Region (ICR), immediate removal of illegal Bangladeshi immigrants from the ICR, recognition of only two legal mosques within the capital region, and immediate ban on all weekly markets within the ICR, including neighbouring areas such as Doimukh and Hollongi.
Phassang also cautioned against the Waqf Board and said that “its implementation can be a threat to the state after donating land for constructing mosques.”
He also spoke on the two alleged spies who were arrested by the Itanagar police for spying for Pakistani handlers, and said that the situation is alarming.
“We are also being targeted now, but we are not going to stop. This movement is very serious and we are doing it for the future and security of Arunachal,” Phassang said.
The organisations said that their movement would go a long way “and it won’t stop here.”
APIYO general secretary Tapor Maying appealed to the government to convene a roundtable meeting to discuss the issues before the simultaneous panchayati raj and municipal elections.
“Our motto is our land first, then elections or any other things,” he said.
