Human rights activist and Rights and Risks Analysis Group (RRAG) Director Suhas Chakma has strongly opposed recent statements by Arunachal Pradesh Chief Minister Pema Khandu regarding the potential relocation of the Chakma and Hajong communities.
Chakma described the proposal as unconstitutional and warned that it could ignite ethnic tensions similar to those currently affecting Manipur.
In a detailed statement titled “Stop ‘Manipurisation’ of Arunachal Pradesh”, shared on social media on Thursday, Chakma accused the Chief Minister of being misled by state officials and local legislators. He emphasised that attempts to displace these communities could destabilise Arunachal Pradesh’s social harmony.
Chakma highlighted that the relocation plan violates both the Constitution of India and a 1996 Supreme Court ruling in NHRC vs State of Arunachal Pradesh & Anr (1996 AIR 1234), which directed the Union and State governments to process the citizenship applications of the Chakmas and Hajongs and prohibited any eviction or deportation.
“The settlement of the Chakmas and Hajongs in 1964 was approved by the Government of India when Arunachal Pradesh did not exist—it was part of the North Eastern Frontier Agency (NEFA),” Chakma explained. “There is no legal authority for Arunachal Pradesh to revoke this decision six decades later.” He added that even Parliament cannot overturn this established legal position.
Addressing claims that Arunachal Pradesh is a “tribal state,” Chakma clarified that the term has no constitutional basis. He noted that Article 371(H), which governs Arunachal Pradesh, contains no mention of “tribal status,” and similar provisions for Nagaland and Mizoram under Articles 371(A) and 371(G) also do not classify these regions as tribal states. “A ‘tribal state’ is a political phrase, not a legal one,” he said, calling the repeated use of the term misleading and unconstitutional.
Chakma also pointed out that the state government has disregarded Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s directive of December 2, 2021.
The directive, issued after Chakma’s intervention, instructed authorities to halt any special census aimed at relocating the Chakmas and Hajongs. “The Prime Minister personally intervened. Any move to conduct relocation or enumeration now would amount to contempt of his directive,” he warned.
He further cited Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma’s clarification on September 23, 2024, that there have been no proposals to relocate the Chakmas and Hajongs to Assam. “I do not expect contempt of Prime Minister Modi by a BJP Chief Minister,” Chakma remarked.
Reiterating the Supreme Court’s 1996 ruling, Chakma stressed that no Chakma or Hajong can be evicted until their citizenship applications are processed. “If the State proceeds with relocation, any Indian citizen can move a contempt petition before the Supreme Court,” he noted, highlighting that the matter remains under judicial consideration in Writ Petition (Civil) No. 510 of 2007.
Chakma urged restraint and dialogue, warning against politicising the issue. “Despite over sixty years of coexistence, there has been no violence between the Chakmas, Hajongs, and local communities. The issue is often politicised by outsiders,” he said. He also criticised recent meetings between the Chief Minister and self-proclaimed Chakma representatives, describing them as “MLA workers” with no legitimacy to speak for the community. “Any agreement signed with such individuals will be legally meaningless,” he added.
Concluding his statement, Chakma reaffirmed his commitment to the Constitution and the protection of all citizens. “I bow before the Constitution to protect every person in this country, including the Chakmas and Hajongs of Arunachal Pradesh,” he declared.
The Chakmas and Hajongs, originally from the Chittagong Hill Tracts of present-day Bangladesh, were resettled in NEFA during the 1960s following displacement by the Kaptai Dam project and persecution. Despite living in India for over sixty years, their citizenship status remains unresolved, making it one of the country’s longest-standing human rights issues.
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