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Several truckers, belonging to the Muslim community, were allegedly beaten up in Arunachal Pradesh, following which they fled to neighbouring Assam, leaving their vehicles behind, officials said on Sunday, cited various media reports.

Their trucks too were attacked in the incident and supply of essential items is likely to be hit. District Food and Civil Supply Officer Chukhu Jirjo wrote a letter to Deputy Commissioner Kurung Kumey saying that the truckers who unloaded rice at Koloriang and were beaten up by a group of men on Saturday at a place between Palin in Kra-Dadi district.

Jirjo requested the deputy commissioner to take up the matter with the DCs of Kra-Dadi and Lower Subansirin districts to ensure that the truckers and their helpers were safe so that the transportation of essential commodities would be affected.

The current incident comes post several people across the country tested positive for coronavirus after attending a religious congregation at the Tablighi Jamaat’s Markaz in Delhi’s Nizamuddin last month.

The Tablighi Jamaat congregation has been all over the media for the past few days, with news channels blatantly calling the minorities as ‘super spreaders’ and the only reason for the spike in Covid-19 infections in the country. Since then, there have been a multitude of communal attacks on the minorities.

Sangha Tagik, the chairman of the Parsi-Parlo-based Tani Taw Multipurpose Cooperative Society and a wholesale dealer of PDS items, alleged that Muslim workers were being chased away, forcing them to flee to Assam.

And this is not the lone incident. In North Karnataka, villagers allegedly beat up two Muslim men, kicked and assaulted them, terming them as ‘coronavirus spreaders’, reported Asianet News. The men who were returning from Mahalimgapura village have been ostracized and removed from the Bidari village in Mudhol taluk of North Karnataka.

According to The News Minute, a video of the incident went viral on social media. According to that report, the men had gone to the banks of the Krishna river to fish. In the video, the Muslim men can be seen folding their hands, begging for mercy while the others kick them and shoo them away with wooden sticks.

“Don’t touch them. They are the ones spreading the disease,” one of the men can be heard saying.

One of them makes the men kneel in front of them and apologise for coming outside. “You people (referring to members of the Muslim community) are the ones who are spreading the disease. Why are you coming to our village? Do you know how many people have died,” one of the men can be heard saying.

In Belagavi too, it was alleged that a mob of men attacked two mosques on Sunday due to lights being on at 9 PM. The Yamkanmardi Police, with which two separate cases have been registered, said, “These men attacked the mosque and tried to shut it down. They kept saying that the whole country is switching off the lights and lighting candles and that members in the mosque too must follow the same. They have been arrested now.”

The Sadalaga Police arrested 13 people for allegedly attacking another mosque in the area demanding that the lights be turned off.

All 22 men in connection with the two cases have been booked under sections 153A (Acts prejudicial to the maintenance of harmony between different groups), 295A (malicious acts intended to outrage the religious feelings) of the IPC.

An activist working in the Amruthahalli area in north Bengaluru too spoke of discrimination. Allegedly, she was harassed by BJP / RSS activists while delivering food to migrant workers. She said, “They said ‘who gave you permission to give food? You are a Muslim, you guys mix poison and spit on food before distributing. Have you guys come from Nizamuddin and want to spread the disease to everyone?’ They also went to meet my landlord and asked him why he rented us a room knowing that we are Muslims. They said ‘Go to Shivajinagar or RK Hegde Nagar, we don’t need help from Muslims, thank god we have enough.”

In Gurgaon too, the police arrested four persons for firing at a mosque in Dhankot village. According to police, the accused revealed they were troubled by news about several coronavirus cases being tracked to the Tablighi Jamaat gathering at Nizamuddin, and had gone to check the Dhankot mosque and ensure nobody was hiding there.

India has already seen a pogrom against Muslims in the recent Delhi communal violence that took place there in February this year. With the media and other right-wing elements villainizing the entire Muslim community for the mistake of a few irresponsible people, is India going to face another bout of targeted violence even as it battles the coronavirus pandemic?

Related:

Maulana Saad’s error of judgement has put an entire community at risk
Lockdown impact: Father of three allegedly commits suicide in Assam

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Per the report, 106 of the total 184 candidates analysed (using self-sworn affidavits) are from national parties, 66 are from state parties, and 11 are independent candidates. 

Criminal background of candidates 
29 candidates, or 16% of the total number that were analysed, have “declared criminal cases against” them. In comparison, in the 2014 assembly elections in the state, 9 out of the 148 candidates analysed, or 6%, had declared criminal cases against them. 26 candidates have “declared serious criminal cases against” them, compared to seven candidates in 2014.

The report notes that the criteria for ‘serious criminal cases’ includes offences for which the maximum punishment is five years or more, non-bailable offences, electoral offences, offences that are related to assault, kidnapping, murder and rape, offences mentioned in the Representation of the People Act (section 8), offences under the Prevention of Corruption Act, and crimes against women.

When considering political parties, the report states that seven of the 60 candidates from the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), or 12%, have declared criminal cases against them in affidavits. This figure is nine out of 46 candidates, or 20% for the Indian National Congress (INC), eight of 30 candidates from the National People’s Party (NPP), two of 15 candidates from the Janata Dal (United) party (JD(U)), and one of 12 candidates from the Janata Dal (Secular) party (JD(S)). Four BJP candidates, nine Congress candidates, and eight NPP candidates have declared serious criminal cases.

Financial background of candidates
The report has found that 67 candidates, or 36% of the total number analysed have assets valued at Rs. 5 crore or higher, 44 candidates (24%) have assets worth between Rs. 2 crores and Rs. 5 crores, and 35 candidates (19%) have assets worth between Rs. 50 lakh and Rs. 2 crores. This means that nearly 80% of all candidates have assets valued at Rs. 50 lakh, or higher. Of the three candidates with the highest valued assets, two are from the BJP, while one is from the Congress.

Of the three candidates with the lowest valued assets, two are from the JD(S), and one is from the Congress. One candidate, Dayum Para of the Congress, contesting from the Tali constituency, has declared zero assets.

131 of the 184 candidates analysed are crorepatis, or 71%, per the report. In comparison, in the 2014 Arunachal Pradesh assembly elections, 88 of 148 candidates analysed, or 60%, were crorepatis. 54 of 60 BJP candidates (or 90%) are crorepatis, 30 of 46 Congress candidates (or 65%) are crorepatis, and 21 of 30 NPP candidates (70%) are crorepatis. This figure is is 11 of 15 candidates (or73% for JD(U), seven of 12 candidates (or 58%) for the JD(S), and five of 11 independent candidates (or 46%).

The average assets per candidate amount to Rs. 9.86 crores. In contrast, this figure was Rs. 5.05 crores for the 148 candidates analysed for the 2014 legislative assembly elections. This figure is Rs. 13.13 crores for the 60 BJP candidates, Rs. 11. 95 crores for the 46 Congress candidates, Rs. 6.43 crores for the 30 NPP candidates, Rs. 7.79 crores for the 15 JD(U) candidates, and Rs. 4.30 crores for the 12 JD(S) candidates.

Of the three candidates with the highest liabilities, one is from the Congress, one is from the JD(U), and one is from the BJP. Nabam Tuki, of the Congress, who was formerly Arunachal Pradesh’s chief minister is contesting from the Sagalee constituency; he has the highest liabilities, amounting to more than Rs. 20 crores. His assets are valued at more than Rs. 100 crores.

Candidates gender, age, and educational background
68 of all candidates, or 37% have “declared their educational qualification to be between 5th and 12th,” the report states, adding that 106 candidates (or 58%) have declared their educational qualification as “graduate or above”. Two candidates are literate, while five candidates are not literate. 

35 candidates, or 19%, “have declared their age to be between 25 to 40 years,” the report notes, adding that 130 candidates (or 71%) have declared their age to between 41 and 60 years. 19 candidates, or 10% have said that they are aged between 61 and 80 years.

Just 11 candidates are female, amounting to 6%. In 2014, of the 148 candidates analysed, five, or 3% were women.

The report says that the number of MLAs who are re-contesting the 2019 election is 50, noting that ADR has analysed 47 of these, with three candidates not being analysed due to want of adequately scanned affidavits. Per the report, the average assets of candidates who are re-contesting has increased by Rs. 7.96 crores, or 76%.

Suspicious money in the Northeast
Chief Minister Pema Khandu is the wealthiest candidate; he is seeking re-election from the Mukta assembly seat in the state for his third consecutive term. In 2016, Khandu left the Congress and joined the BJP. On Wednesday, April 3, the Congress issued a press release stating that a midnight raid conducted on the convoy of Khandu, Deputy Chief Minister Chowna Mein, and BJP state president Tapir Gao, “found Rs 1.8 crore in stacks of hard cash that exposes the brazen corruption and poll violation  as Prime Minister Narendra Modi holds a rally in Pasighat, Arunachal Pradesh at 10:00 am today,” the Indian Express reported, noting that Gao said the money was recovered from BJP MLA candidate Dangi Perme, and that it did not belong to the BJP. Khandu, too, denied the money belonged to the BJP, instead alleging that the Congress engages in ‘cash-for-votes’.

This coincided with an announcement from the Directorate of Income Tax, a large amount of suspicious money was deposited in banks in the Northeast, days before the Lok Sabha elections, the Deccan Herald reported. In a statement, Arun Bhowmick, Deputy Director of Income Tax (Investigation) said, “Our independent intelligence gathering initiative has thrown up an alarming fact that huge amounts of suspicious cash have been deposited in banks, including in rural and co-operative banks in the weeks preceding the announcement of the election dates. Similarly, huge amounts of suspicious cash have also been withdrawn. These transactions so far have gone below the radar of the routine process of election expenditure monitoring. Ground level intelligence indicates it is highly possible that substantial part of the cash flow is being misused for vitiating free and fair elections”. Bhowmick said that the Election Commission of India (ECI) has been alerted to the initial findings.

The Deccan Herald noted that the directorate monitors issues regarding the use of money for elections in Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Manipur, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland, and Tripura, which collectively have 24 Lok Sabha seats. It has launched inquires into around 200 instances of similar bank transactions higher than Rs. 10 lakh. Bhowmick’s statement noted, “The modus operandi seems to be that cash is deposited in banks and may move undetected through banking channels or may stay dormant till required. The cash is withdrawn at the appropriate time and evaporates into the system. The initial investigation into data of 10-days transaction has raised apprehension that the banks are being possibly used as safe conduit to hide and move suspicious cash”.

The complete report may be read below: 
 

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Jarjum Ete is a social activist turned politician who has worked for the development of women in Arunachal Pradesh for over three decades. She has challenged patriarchy in the State by openly condemning child marriage, polygamy and women not having equal inheritance and other rights. She is seen as a role model for many young adults in the state.
 
Currently, she is running for Member of Parliament (MP) from Arunachal West from the Janata Dal (Secular) seat.
 
The talk of women’s empowerment should reflect in their political representation 
She recently resigned from the position of General Secretary, All India Mahila Congress (AIMC) after she was not given parliamentary or Assembly poll tickets. She has reportedly been asking for an opportunity to serve as an elected representative in the State since decades but was not given an opportunity. She apparently had to quit the party for the sake of the people who sought her leadership in the State. Although she maintains no hard feelings for the Congress, it is evident that the party could not translate their women representation and empowerment talks into actually providing space to a woman leader like Jarjum.  
 
Jarjum Ete has worked towards reducing child marriage and domestic violence in the State. Her leadership skills have been established by the fact that she has been one of the first Chairpersons of Arunachal Pradesh State Commission for Women (2005-2008). She has worked towards people’s rights in the past and held many other positions of repute like; Chairperson, Rajiv Gandhi Panchayati Raj Sangathan, Arunachal Pradesh, Chairperson, Panchayat Mahila Shakti Abhiyaan (2007-2008), President, Galo Welfare Society (2010-2013), Vice Chairperson, Arunachal Indigenous Tribes Forum, (2010-2013), President, Arunachal Pradesh Women’s Welfare Society (2000-2003) and President, National Forum for Forest Workers and Forest People.2012-2013.
 
She has also been on many technical taskforce committees like Member of the Expert Committee, NE Women in NCW (2003-2008), Member of the Joint National Committee for Review of Implementation of Forest Rights Act, 2006 (2010), Member, National Task Force on Panchayati Raj, Rajiv Gandhi Foundation (1996-2006), and Member of, National Committee for Promotion of Social and Economic Welfare, Ministry of Finance, GoI (early 2000).
 
Her achievement in social work and activism doesn’t end here. She is currently the President, Indian Council of Child Welfare, Arunachal Pradesh, and Member of ICCW-Sub Committee for Protection of Children, New Delhi. She is also an active spokesperson of Arunachal Pradesh Women’s Welfare Society, and Secretary of National Alliance of Women (NAWO), India. She has been advocating for the indigenous rights of people of Arunachal Pradesh and also championed the cause of environment preservation and sustainable development. She is also currently the President of All India Union of Forest Working People, India and Chief Advisor of Galo Welfare Society.
 
She could become the first woman MP from Arunachal Pradesh 
She has always advocated for the participation of women and youth in politics. This is also an opportunity for the people of Arunachal to create history by electing the first woman MP from the State.
 
Jarjum Ete has said that she will commit herself to work with the youths of Arunachal Pradesh to secure the state’s future by reviewing and amending the Arunachal Pradesh Statehood Act under Article 371H to usher in constitutional protections to the state and its indigenous tribal people.
 
At present, Arunachal faces the problem of youth unemployment and she has promised that she will address this issue. She also ideates that the local governance systems in the state need to be strengthened.
 
‘The 2019 Elections for Arunachalis is not only about petty political calculations. It is about the future of our people and our forests.’, she wrote in one of her online posts.
                                       
Jarjum Ete feels that over the years, many thinkers and leaders have pointed out the lacunae in Arunachal’s Statehood Act.  After witnessing the serious concerns, apprehensions and assertions, sufferings and insecurities faced by the Arunachalis, particularly the youths in regards to the CAB-2016 or PRC or Refugee Rehabilitation policy or the long drawn inter-state boundary issue or the indigenous peoples’ land rights, traditional tribal identities and institutions, it is high time for a review of the Statehood Act under Article 371H.
 
She supports the need for sustainable development that will not only provide livelihood opportunities to Arunachal’s ever-growing aspirational youth-force but also protect their various tribal identities, lands, rivers and forests, and sustain the pristine environment that will be the amulet of life for the future generations.

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Image Courtesy: Amarjit Longjam

New Delhi: The controversial Armed Forces Special Powers Act (AFSPA) was partially removed from Arunachal Pradesh, 32 years after it was imposed, a Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) order said on Tuesday.
 
The Act, which gives sweeping powers to security forces, was partially withdrawn from three of the state’s nine districts, but would remain in force in the areas bordering Myanmar, the MHA order said.
 
The state, which was formed on February 20, 1987, had inherited the controversial AFSPA enacted by Parliament in 1958 and applied to the entire State of Assam and the Union Territory of Manipur.
 
After Arunachal Pradesh, Meghalaya, Mizoram and Nagaland came into being, the Act was appropriately adapted to apply to these states as well.
 
The Justice B P Jeevan Reddy committee had recommended scrapping of the AFSPA from the state.
 
The police station areas from where the AFSPA has been withdrawn are Balemu and Bhalukpong police stations in West Kameng district, Seijosa police station in East Kameng district and Balijan police station in Papumpare district.
 
AFSPA is declared in areas where armed forces are required to operate in aid to civil authorities. However, for AFSPA to become valid, an area needs to be declared “disturbed” either by the Central or the state government under Section 3 of the Act.
 
As per the MHA’s notification on Tuesday, the four police station areas in Arunachal Pradesh which were declared “disturbed areas” under AFSPA are no longer under the purview of the special law.
 
Arunachal Pradesh became a state on February 20, 1987, and since its inception, the controversial AFSPA – enacted by Parliament in 1958 – was applied to the certain parts of the state. In 2018, MHA had reduced AFPSA from 16 police stations areas bordering Assam to eight police stations, besides Tirap, Changlang and Longding districts, adjoining Myanmar.
 
One of the reasons cited by the Centre for imposing AFSPA in Arunachal’s Tirap, Changlang and Longding – all bordering Assam – and 16 other police station areas was the extortion and killing of security forces by the National Socialist Council of Nagaland (Isak-Muivah) and NSCN-K. While NSCN-IM signed a framework agreement with the government, NSCN-K capabilities have been depleted after the death of its leader SS Khaplang, an official said.
 
A review of the law and order situation in Arunachal Pradesh’s six districts was undertaken before the March 31 deadline for the validity of the “disturbed area” designation under the AFSPA.
 
In March last year, the AFSPA was removed completely from Meghalaya following improvement in the security situation.
 
The AFSPA is imposed in areas where armed forces are required to operate in aid to civil authorities. For the AFSPA to become valid, an area, however, needs to be declared disturbed either by the Central or the state government under section 3 of the 1958 Act.
 
Some parts of Arunachal Pradesh has the presence of banned militant outfits such as NSCN, ULFA and NDFB, another official said.
 
Under the Act, the security forces can arrest anyone or carry out searches on any premises.
 
With inputs from agencies.
 

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What is PRC?
Permanent Residence Certificate (PRC) is a legal document issued to Indian citizens that serves as evidence of residence and is required to be submitted as residential proof for official purpose. The PRC proves the domicile of an applicant which enables them to obtain domicile specific quota during admissions in educational institutes. It can also be required for jobs or career opportunities.
 
Who has it, who wants it?
The Arunachal Pradesh Scheduled Tribes (APST) hold the PRC in Arunachal Pradesh. Other communities that have lived in the state for decades have been demanding the PRC as they can’t prove their domicile during background checks. Some of these communities are considered scheduled tribes in Assam but are not acknowledged in Arunachal Pradesh where they have been living for years. They don’t have any official land rights either. Their counterparts in Assam although enjoy PRC and land rights. The Gorkhas and ex-servicemen living in Changlang are also seeking PRC. They are settled on land leased from the Yobin community and pay rent. Their lease expires in 2020.
 
A Joint High Power Committee (JHPC) was formed by the state government on May 1, 2018, with the help of senior politicians, student leaders, community stakeholders and others, to take stock of demand for PRC in the state. They held meetings in Changlang, Namsai, Tezu and other areas and discussed all the matters and concerns. The JHPC was given the deadline of January 2019 to submit their findings and report. The JHPC report was to be tabled in the state assembly on February 23 in the current session.
 
The New Year Gift
But even before the report could be submitted, Arunachal Pradesh’s Chief Minister Pema Khandu offered a New Year gift! In December 2018, Khandu announced that people from six communities that are perceived as non-native to the state, namely Adivasi, Deori, Gorkha, Mishing, Moran, and SonowalKachari, and ex-servicemen residing in Changlang and Namsai districts will be granted PRC, with 1968 serving as the cut-off year.
 
Who opposes PRC?
The Arunachal Pradesh Scheduled Tribes (APST) believe that giving PRC to non-native tribes/communities will dilute the Bengal Eastern Frontier Regulation (BEFR) Act of 1873 which leads the Inner Line Permit (ILP) rule in the state. This rule makes it mandatory for all non-permanent residents and visitors to obtain this ILP permit before entering the state. This permit is demanded at entry checkpoints at various places in the state. They APSTs feel that granting PRC to these communities will endanger their local culture and land rights with the ease in inflow. The powerful groups and organisations feel granting them the permanent residences will hamper the rights and interests of the indigenous people of the state. The All Arunachal Pradesh Students Union (AAPSU) had demanded that the JHPC make it mandatory that non APST communities should continue to take ILP to enter or live in the state and on tribal land.
 
Escalation of Violence
A copy of the JHPC recommendations was allegedly leaked in mid-February, and anger began to boil over when it was discovered that they had recommended granting permanent resident certificates (PRC) to the six tribes/communities.
 
All Tai KhamptiSingpho Students’ Union (ATKSSU) and All Namsai Districts Students’ Union (ANDSU) vehemently rejected the recommendations, while the AAPSU offered conditional support. On February 21, the AAPSU clarified the nature of its support for the PRC stating that they would back the PRC if it would be used only for educational and employment purposes by families recorded in the cadastral survey of 1968, and that PRCs would not grant the non-APSTs rights at par with the APSTs.
 
Violence erupted on February 22, just a day before the report was to be tabled, and Arunachal Pradesh continued to burn for three days. It was, therefore, decided not to table the report on February 23. An agitated mob ransacked and burnt the private residence of deputy chief minister Chowna Mein. And on February 24, two people were killed and three injured when protesters tried to attack the private home of Arunachal Pradesh Chief Minister Pema Khandu at the ESS sector in Itanagar in the afternoon. Protestors set ablaze five vehicles and also burnt the offices of All Arunachal Pradesh Students Union (AAPSU) and All Nyishi Students Union (ANSU) here, police said.
 
AAPSU President HawaBagang had condemned the violence saying, “Though everyone has the right to take up democratic means to get their voices heard, it is also important to know the depth of the issue before protesting and creating law and order problems.”
 
Meanwhile, the PRC demanding communities intensified their demands in the state by blocking the National Highway connecting Namsai in Assam to Deori dominated Mahadevpur in Arunachal Pradesh. Bandhs and economic blockades were announced by the communities.
 
CM Khandu called an all-party meeting to take stock of the situation and decide on the future course of action, but none of the parties, including the opposition Congress, NPP and the PPA, turned up.
 
Meanwhile, on February 25 the Congress delegation led by party General Secretary LuizinhoFaleiro submitted a memorandum to the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) asking for the immediate dismissal of Chief Minster Pema Khandu, Deputy Chief Minister Chowna Mein and Union Minuster of State for Home Affairs KirenRijiju.
 
What next?
Arunachal Pradesh Chief Secretary Satya Gopal issued a statement on Sunday that said, “Considering the present situation pertaining to grant of PRCs to non-APST (Arunachal Pradesh Scheduled Tribes) of Namsai and Changlang districts, the state government has decided that no further action will be taken in grant of PRCs.”
 
The ongoing assembly session was also adjourned sine die by speaker TenzingNorbuThongdok on Saturday. Arunachal Pradesh chief minister Pema Khandu clarified that the state government was not bringing the bill on PRC but only tabling the report of the panel. However, despite the state government declaration, the protests continued and the protesters were demanding the resignation of both the CM and Deputy CM. Sources said that the state possibly is staring at a President Rule shortly.
 
Chief Minister Pema Khandu said his government will never again take up the issue of granting PRC to non-natives of Arunachal Pradesh.
 
https://twitter.com/ANI/status/1099878205371109377/photo/1
 
Political blame game begins
The Arunachal Pradesh BJP president Tapir Gao told The Indian Express, “This violence is definitely politically backed by the Congress. The government has already agreed to not table the recommendations and discuss the matter. It is an attempt to destabilise the BJP government in the state. Goons have been going around Itanagar for the last few days.”
 
TakamSanjoy president of the state unit of the Congress told The Indian Express that the violence signifies a “total failure of the government” and that President’s Rule should be imposed immediately in the state.
 
“In my lifetime, I am seeing this is the worst condition of the state. How can the BJP blame the Congress? Who brought the bill to grant PRC in the Assembly? Who constituted the JHPC? Is there a Congress government now in Arunachal? The BJP is blaming the Congress to hide its own failure. The Army has been called in, mobile internet is banned.”
 
On Sunday, Rijiju in a tweet asked the state’s people to maintain peace.
 
Instability in state politics
Arunachal Pradesh has of late seen a series of unstable governments and mass defections. With the new volatility, politicians are switching parties again. This reverses the trend of the last few years, where the Congress saw an exodus from its ranks and into those of the Bharatiya Janata Party and its allies. Ruled by a BJP-led coalition at present, the term of the present government expires on June 1, 2019.
 
The most high-profile resignation from the BJP so far has been that of former Chief Minister GegongApang. On January 15, he quit the ruling party, which he had joined in 2014. He lashed out at the BJP’s central leadership in his resignation letter. It “hates decentralisation or democratic decision making”, he wrote, “the party is now a platform to seek power”.
 
2016 saw the state plunged into the months-long political turmoil that saw three chief ministers in a short span besides imposition of President’s rule for a brief period.
 
In the long-drawn political drama, Governor J P Rajkhowa was dismissed on September 22. Observers say this was apparently because he had failed to “ensure a lasting BJP-led or BJP-blessed government” in the state.
 
The political crisis in the frontier state stemmed from the ouster of KalikhoPul from the Council of Ministers in April 2015. Soon after his exit, Pul went about spilling the beans on the poor financial health of the state under the then Chief Minister NabamTuki’s leadership. The state was thrown into chaos when he was found hanging inside the chief minister’s official bungalow on August 9, which he was yet to vacate.
 
 

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Thousands of Assamese people were detained by the Khasi Student’s Union (KSU) of Meghalaya when they were moving from Barak Valley to the Brahmaputra Valley vice versa. Approximately 95% people of both the valleys of Assam have to use this road that passes through Meghalaya as they have no other safe or secure roadway connectivity through Assam. This daily geographical compulsion of thousands of Assamese people is now compounded with intense harassment that began on August 1, barely two days after the declaration of the draft final NRC.

Throughout this tortuous harassment, the BJP led governments of Assam, Meghalaya (in Mehghalaya, the BJP is in alliance) have remained silent spectators. It was various citizens’ organisations, especially from the Barak Valley, who intervened, taking the initiative to convince the KSU and the Meghalaya governments that such actions should be stopped as the final NRC is yet to be published. Though the situation in Meghalaya and Nagaland was controlled through these interventions and unofficial deliberations, in Arunachal Pradesh, the situation is very grave.

Unmindful of the ground reality, the All Arunachal Pradesh Student’s Union has started a ‘clean-up drive’ for Arunachal Pradesh, ousting all those persons whose names are excluded in the updated draft NRC. This move of the All Arunachal Pradesh Students’ Union (AAPSU) targets the workers and agrarian class, who have a long history of working in the state. Now, riding on the back of the ‘NRC hysteria’ legitimised by supremacists in power, this Student’s Organization has alleged that all those dropped from the draft NRC are ‘illegal foreigners’ who have settled in the Arunachal Pradesh. Taking law into their own hands, this students’ organization has started a self styled clean-up drive against such “illegal Intruders” as they have failed to show their NRC documents and Inner Line Permit (ILP).

Arunachal Pradesh, has large tracts of vacant land with a workforce that has the lowest numbers. The state is dependent upon a single season of paddy cultivation during the summer. Due to a huge scarcity of labour in the agricultural sector, the land lords of the state generally import, on a contract basis, agricultural labourer from Assam, especially those belonging to the poorer, minority Muslim community from lower and middle Assam. The unwritten agreement between the land lords of Arunachal Pradesh and this labouring class from Assam is that, the labourer will go to Arunachal Pradesh by May, till the land and prepare it for sowing paddy in June-July. After that they will stay at the paddy fields till harvest time in October-November, each year. Each worker gets all food and accommodation from the land lords from May until December and half of the crops are cultivated. Until harvesting, the labourer gets only food and accommodation.

Arunachal Pradesh is a protected state, where no one can enter from other States without Inner Line Permit (ILP). However, these large numbers of the labouring force need no ILP as the land lords involved in their ‘import’ are those who are connected through power and bureaucracy, to the politics of Arunachal Pradesh. On rare occasion, if some labourer does get an ILP it is deposited with the land lord or the agents involved in contracting the work. In this exploitative situation, asking such an impoverished and marginalised workforce for either an ILP or NRC documents is a cruel joke.

However, shockingly thousands of such impoverished labour have been detained by AAPSU since August 17, they have suffered physical and mental assault before being transported to the Assam-Arunachal Border areas. According to the AAPSU president Hawa Banga, “Though AAPSU appealed to all illegal intruders in Arunachal Pradesh to leave the state, there was no response. So, we started a ‘clean up drive’ from August 17. Until August 19, we have ourselves detained 2,205 ‘illegal intruders’ and pushed them back out of the State.” He also said that AAPSU and Arunachal Pradesh Administration had a meeting on August 19 in Naharlagun. In the meeting it is decided that Arunachal Pradesh Police will start a special drive against the illegal Intruders from August 26. Meanwhile, thousands of agricultural and construction workers are in a state of panic, and in a hurry to leave the state to save themselves from the this level of harassment. They are likely to be deprived of all promised livelihood, too.

This has been an unfortunate and pathetic human fall out of the hysteria around the NRC. The process of updating the NRC in Assam has been on, with a mandate to publish a list of Indian Citizens, who while living in Assam, possess all viable documents, from any part of India, prior to March 24, 1971. Though the competent Authority related to finalisation of NRC like the Directorate, RGI, Union Home Ministry and even the Supreme Court of India have been repeatedly giving reassurances saying that those left out of the draft NRC published on July 30, 2018 will not be harassed or intimidated in any way (as they may not be foreigners as defined under the Constitution of India), vested political interests especially the ruling party of India and the states in the north east under saffron sway, are jumping on the hysteria of the “illegal intruder” discourse.

It looks like as if this will be the polarising tool that will be used by the saffron combine at the cost of poor, hard-working lives.

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Image: PTI  (Representation Image)
 
Heavy rains lashed several parts of Arunachal Pradesh, including the capital, causing landslides and flood-like situation in many areas across the state. The administration has alerted residents located at vulnerable areas, such as river banks, streams, landslide-prone zone and advised them to move to safer locations. More than 20 stranded passengers, including four patients, three children, women and students were airlifted from Sagalee to Naharlagun yesterday.

Heavy damages to roads, culverts, houses and other infrastructure were reported from the districts. Two bridges that connected Sagalee were washed away leaving around 100 commuters stranded.

Sagalee remained cut off and stranded passengers were accommodated in the inspection bungalow and at former Chief Minister Nabam Tuki?s private residence. Landslides along the Papu-Yupia-Hoj-Potin stretch of the Trans Arunachal Highway, left many vehicles stranded.

The district administration issued a circular to stop traffic through the highway between 5pm and 9am. A report from East Siang district stated that Siang River crossed the danger mark on Sunday night.

In Tirap district, a huge landslide occurred between Khonsa and Longding road near the Tirath Hydel Project. The River Kameng at Seppa was reportedly flowing over the danger level.

Due to rising water level of Dipu Nallah, Tezu-Roing road traffic was diverted via Assam.

Meanwhile, incessant rainfall led to erosion of a major portion of the National Highway 415 between Naharlagun and Itanagar. The National Highway 415 connecting Itanagar and Naharlagun has been closed and all vehicles were diverted to Papu-Nallah and Itanagar via Jollang Road. The situation worsened as the soil below Barapani Bridge began eroding due to the rise in water level, official sources said.

Capital Complex Deputy Commissioner Prince Dhawan prohibited heavy vehicles from using the bridge till further notice and directed the department concerned to construct a retaining wall to stop soil erosion.

On the other hand, the Jullang road, which is currently the only lifeline connecting Itanagar and Naharlagun, is also in a bad condition with mudslides causing considerable damage at several points.

The Parliamentary Secretary for Disaster Management Kaling Moyong yesterday assessed the damages at Barapani Bridge and Chandranagar area.

A detailed report would be submitted to the chief minister so that necessary measures could be taken at the earliest, Moyong said.

Meanwhile, landslide triggered by heavy downpour destroyed two houses of Santi Colony at Sagalee in Papum Pare district on Sunday.

Landslides have been reported from almost the entire stretch of Seppa-Sagalee-Kheel Trans Arunachal Highway (TAH), Sagalee ADC Jalash Pertin said.
 

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Lama Lobang Gyatso speaks and explains the extent of state repression in the state

More than 100 large and medium dams are planned in the North Eastern Indian state of Arunachal Pradesh. Lama Lobsang Gyatso from Tawang Valley talks about the large hydro-electric projects that threaten the very existence of his Monpa community. This powerful video conversation, with Lama Lobsang Gyatso (Newsclick.in) who was attached to the 17th century Tawang Monastery and is the leader of the Save Mon Region Federation (SMRF) explains the struggle of large sectiobns of Arunalachis against this self-defeating and environmentally defeatist course.

The Modi regime that had promised a re-look at the policy of dams in Arunachal (while on the election trail) has backtracked fast enough. On May 2, 2016, in an ugly turn of events, two people, namely Monk Nyima Wangdue and Tshering Tenpa, were killed and many injured, while protesting against the arrest of Lama Lobsang Gyatso in Tawang including a young Buddhist Lama. The Victims were protesting for the release of Lama Lobsang Gyatso, one of the most vocal opponents of hydropower projects in the Tawang region and secretary of the Save Mon Region Federation (SMRF), an organization of the Monpa Community in the Mon-Tawang region of Arunachal Pradesh.

Courtesy: Newsclick.in
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Lama Lobsang Gyatso was attached to the 17th century Tawang Monastery and is the leader of the Save Mon Region Federation (SMRF). 

On May 02, 2016 in an ugly turn of event, two people, namely Monk Nyima Wangdue and Tshering Tenpa   

Background:
Even while the State government continues to remain apathetic to the whole situation, the Modi regime has in a surreptitious manner completely over-turned its electoral promises to stall hydel projects in the region that is seismic sensitive.
 As far back as September 24, 2014, six year and two rejections later, India’s largest hydro project was cleared. The project was rejected twice by the FAC, the original proposal in 2013 and a revised proposal in April.The 3000 MW Dibang Hydel project for which former prime minister, Manmohan Singh laid its foundation stone and which had twice been denied environmental clearance, the Forest Advisory Committee (FAC) of the Ministry of Environment and Forests (MoEF), gae it clearance subject to a reduction in the dam height by 20 m from the originally envisaged 288 m.
 
This clearance for India’s largest hydro project and the world’s tallest concrete gravity dam came after a September 3 letter from Nripendra Mishra, Principal Secretary to the Prime Minister, to the Environment Secretary to “clear the project expeditiously” as per the decision of the Cabinet Committee on investment. This was the person whom Modi had had a special ordinance passed to enable his appointment.
 
This clearance had raised eyebrows, since on August 28, 2014 the MoEF had written to the Arunachal Pradesh government rejecting the proposal for diverting more than 45 sq km of forest land to National Hydroelectric Power Corporation (NHPC) for the project. A day after Mishra’s letter, the Ministry revived the project by writing to the “project proponent that sensitivity analysis of reduction of dam height up to 40 m may please be submitted for further consideration”.
 
In 2013, in the run up to the general elections of 2014, as the National Democratic Alliance’s prime ministerial candidate in the 2014 Lok Sabha election, Narendra Modi had given hope to anti-dam activists in Assam when he spoke against the controversial large dams proposed in Arunachal Pradesh. But those hopes were dashed on February 20, when Modi visited Itanagar to attend Arunachal Pradesh's 29th Statehood Day. At an election rally on February 22, 2013 at an election rally at Pasighat in Arunachal Pradesh, Modi had said that he would prefer smaller hydro power projects in the region, honouring the sentiments of the region’s people. A year later and the prime minister had forgotten his promise. He pushed for hydropower projects in the state and said Arunachal Pradesh can light up the entire country.

Sabrangindia has been regularly tracking this critical human rights and environmental rights issue. Reportedly, 13 of the over 150 hydel projects planned by the state since 2005 are in the Tawang. To stall this spree of dam construction and upcoming ecological devastation, the people from the Monpa Community joined hands with local Buddhist monks in 2011 to form the Save Mon Region Federation (SMRF).

Under Lobsang Gyatso's leadership, SMRF has been advocating socio-culturally and ecologically sensitive development in the Mon-Tawang region. The group has protested against ecologically destructive hydropower projects, demanded accountability in the execution of government schemes and development projects, and exposed corruption.

Their work has been bearing fruit as on April 7, the SMRF saw its first significant achievement. In response to its petition filed in 2012, the National Green Tribunal (NGT) suspended the environment clearance granted by the Union environment ministry for the Rs. 6,400 crore Nyamjang Chhu hydropower project in Tawang’s Zemingthang area. The NGT noted that the project – promoted by the Noida-based steel conglomerate LNJ Bhilwara Group – did not consider its impact on the habitat of the endangered black-necked crane, which is endemic to the region. The bird is rated “vulnerable” in the International Union for Conservation of Nature’s list of endangered species and is listed in schedule 1 of the Wildlife (Prohibition) Act 1972 and also considered sacred to the Buddhist Monpa community, who consider it an embodiment of the 6th Dalai Lama, who was from Tawang and wrote about the bird in his poetry.

Lobsang Gyatso and SMRF have been supporting villagers in recording their objections against other destructive hydropower projects in Tawang too, including Tawang II HEP.However Lobsang Gyatso’s success seems to have made him a target for the local police authorities. Following the events, he was arrested twice last month on charges of disrupting peace in the Gongkhar Village and for alleged critical comments against Guru Rinpoche, the Abbot of Tawang Monastery, in reply of that the Abbot has appealed to find a peaceful solution to the volatile situation but the politicians exploited the issue and filed an FIR  against the leader Lobsang Gyatso after which the protests erupted in the region for his release.

The political motivation is also clear as the SMRF is preparing to file public interest litigation in the Supreme Court against the Mukto Shakangchu hydel project, report sections of the media. Even though over 90 crores rupees were officially spent by the state government on the project, most of what was constructed has been washed away by the river waters within three and a half months of completion of work due to use of sub-standard material.

May 2016 Protests in the National Capital

Around 60 monks from the Tawang valley in Arunachal Pradesh valley have travelled to Delhi to draw public and media attention to alleged police atrocity in their district and to demand justice. Representatives from Save Mon Region Federation (SMRF) and National Alliance of People’s Movement (NAPM) briefed the media yesterday about the developments in Tawang district.

According to them, 21-year-old Nyima Wangdi, a monk from the Tawang Monastery and 31-year-old Tsering Tempa from Jangda village were shot dead on May 2, 2016, while 19 others were seriously injured when police opened fire on a crowd of almost 2,000 people who had gathered peacefully at Tawang district collector’s office to demand immediate release of their community leader, Lama Lobsang Gyatso.

The issue started with the local community protesting the construction of 780 MW Nyamjang Chhu power project in the Tawang valley. The project is a threat to the wintering habitat of the black-necked crane, an endangered bird considered sacred by the Buddhist Monpa community. The bird is considered an embodiment of the 6th Dalai Lama who was from Tawang and wrote about the bird in his poetry.

The community of Tawang Valley had written several times to the local administration and the state government agencies but there was no response. Due to this, the tribal community of the valley had approached NGT which suspended the environment clearance of the project on the April 7, 2016. Ever since there was a coordinated reaction from the state administration, local MLA and zila parishad chairman (JPC), it is alleged.

On April 26, 2016, Lama Lobsang Gyatso was arrested but released the same day. On April 28, the zila parishad chairman called a public meeting ostensibly to discuss development of Tawang region but he singled out and attacked the Lama. Lama Lobsang Gyatso was rearrested on April 28. Due to these developments the community suspected that worse might happen to their leader and assembled peacefully on May 2 to demand his release from police custody.

Representatives of SMRF, an environmental civil society organisation working in the region along with representatives from NAPM and Delhi Solidarity Group (DSG) met with chairman, National Commission for Scheduled Tribes (NCST) on May 24 and with joint secretary, Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change in New Delhi on May 25. The chairman assured that he will direct state authorities to register cases under Prevention of Atrocities (SC/ST) Act, and also ask for CID and judicial enquiry, not involving local police in investigation, and assured compensation to the injured and the families of people who were killed in police firing.

The joint secretary, Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change, assured that they are not going to challenge the order dated April 7 of National Green Tribunal (NGT). He also gave assurances about conducting studies pertaining to the endangered bird through Wildlife Institute of India for the entire season as decided by the experts. Demand for the consultation with community and religious issues (linked to black-necked-crane bird) was also accepted.

The NHRC has also been approached and are looking into the matter. The demand for CBI enquiry and issue pertaining to the manner of project sanctioning / approval, are yet to be addressed.

Lobsang Chhodup, one of the monks who came from Tawang valley, said, “We want the government to pay heed to this. People in Arunachal should not feel as though they are being neglected”. 

Himanshu Thakkar, from South Asian Network for Rivers, Dams and People said, “The electricity generated from Tawang will not reach them even though the destruction will be entirely theirs.” 

Jampa Tsering who works with Humanity Foundation, Tawang, has said, “Tawang region needs micro-hydel power projects and not the mega projects.”  Vimal bhai from NAPM said that Arunachal Pradesh is not any Naxal affected region nor a conflict area nor a communally sensitive region. Instead, it is a peaceful place in the country which has a large population of Buddhist monks. There was no reason for the police to open fire on them without any warning. This incident forces us to think whether it was a pre-planned action.” 

The representatives from SMRF, NAPM and DSG condemned the high handedness of the administration in dealing with a peaceful protest and demanded that there should be an enquiry into the incident and the guilty punished. They also observed that the nexus between the state machinery and the private companies is working against the interest of the people in the region and that this cannot continue. They said that the directions of NGT and Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate change must be complied with and adhered to.

Image Courtesy: Savetawang.org

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