FOR the 65,000 Chakma settlers in Arunachal Pradesh, life has not become any easier, despite a Supreme Court stricture earlier this year, directing the state government to refrain from deporting them. The Supreme Court had even asked the Chakmas to apply for Indian citizenship, but most of the refugees are yet to get hold of the forms.
The plight of the Chakmas, who migrated from the Chittagong hill tracts of erstwhile East Pakistan in 1964, was summed up by Subimal Chakma of the World Chakma Organisation: "Our people have to secure the citizenship forms from the district commissioners at Lohit, Papumpare and Changlang. Most of the people have to come from remote areas and there is no security for them.
Phuloram Chakma (50) was attacked and killed by some local toughs a few days ago at Medo while returning from work. There have been other incidents as well. As a result, we cannot go to the headquarters to get the requisite forms. The administration, which wants us to quit the state, takes no notice of our complaints." The Chakmas claim that the state administration is flouting the apex court's January 9 directive—to ensure security to the beleaguered tribe and to forward the forms for citizenship, filed by the Chakmas, to the Centre.
What fuels Chakma fears about a more difficult life ahead is the stand adopted by Chief Minister Gegong Apang. Sources in the Committee for the Citizenship Rights of Chakmas allege that 10 Chakma elders were rounded up at random by the state administration from Diyun recently. They were interned at the state capital, Itanagar, for a day and later taken to the chief minister's chamber. Apang reportedly told them that it would be useless to stay on in Arunachal Pradesh as the local people resented their presence. The local tribes outnumber the Chakmas 10 to one. The elders pointed out that such matters should be discussed with the committee but Apang refused to listen. The next day the state government came out with a press note, saying the Chakmas had agreed to move out of Arunachal Pradesh provided they were given adequate land. Chakma leaders were taken unawares: "Wedon't know on what basis the government made this claim. There was no discussion with us or our organisations."
Arunachal Pradesh government sources, however, deny that Chakmas are being physically prevented from securing their forms. "No such complaint has been made to us nor any violence has been reported. The situation is under control," said a state government spokesman. This despite the fact that the state government recently published an 80-page white paper on the problems posed by the Chakma and Hajong refugees. Initially, 14,000 people were settled as political refugees in Arunachal Pradesh—their numbers have now swelled to around 65,000, the paper observes. "There is nothing in common between the Chakma refugees and the tribal people of Arunachal Pradesh. The Chakmas should by rights go back to Bangladesh, not stay here."
Chakma organisations view the matter differently. Many Chakmas have been born after 1964, making them Indian citizens by law. Local tribes often employ the Chakmas at a pittance for agricultural or other hard labour. But they have been systematically ignored or abused. After the expiry of the September 30, 1994 'quit Arunachal' deadline served by the All-Arunachal Pradesh Students' Union, the government officially withdrew minimum facilities accorded to them—their schools were closed, they were thrown out of government offices, medical aid was stopped, even during emergencies. As the white paper concedes, the divergence between the official stand, which is really a crystallisation of local sentiments against the refugees, and the Chakma perspective is too wide to be ignored. The state government and the Chakmas are united on one point: only the Centre can help end the prevailing deadlock.
Given the present fluid situation at the Centre with only the BJP taking a helpful stand towards the Chakmas, Northeast observers do not see the Deve Gowda Government exerting itself unduly to solve the ethnic tangle. Which means more trouble for the Chakmas, who have been shunned in their homeland, and are being rejected by their adopted state. Says a Chakma leader: "Only if India accepts us, our survival as a distinct ethnic group will be assured. This is why we want our citizenship. If we fail, we will end up as a displaced tribe with no territory or settled address, abandoned by history."
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