Referring to the democratic movement launched by the Students United Movement of All Arunachal (SUMAA) against the state government over the Tibetan Rehabilitation Policy (TRP), government spokesperson Bamang Felix on Wednesday said that the state government will not allow any organization or student union to take law into their hands.
“We have the administration and system in place to deal with such unscrupulous activities. Digging a non issue and making it an issue is not acceptable and the government is duty bound to take appropriate action,” Felix said while addressing a news conference here at the civil secretariat.
Besides demanding the rollback of the TRP, the SUMMA has also been demanding the Tibetan committee to furnish the family tree cum records of all Tibetan refugees settled in Arunachal Pradesh and a clarification in written from the representatives of the Tibetan population that they would not ask for ‘citizenship’ in the future.
The union had recently also taken out a protest rally in the district headquarters of West Kameng against the TRP issue and alleged granting of illegal ST certificates and PRCs to Tibetan refugees during which various shopkeepers were allegedly harassed.
“What had happened in West Kameng district is unfortunate and highly condemnable. Appropriate directions have been issued and people or organization disturbing in the peace and tranquillity of the state will be dealt with iron hands,” Felix said.
The government spokesperson added that grievances of any group/ organization shall be resolved through available democratic means for which this Government is always ready. Taking law and order into the hands shall be dealt with strictly as per law, he said.
The Capital Police had on Tuesday detained SUMAA general secretary Suraj Lingu and convener Tarh Rekam under the ambit of Section 2 (XII) of the Arunachal Pradesh Unlawful Activities (APPUA) Act, 2014 over the matter.
With a view to prevent any possible law and order problems, district magistrate Dr Sonal Swaroop has already imposed a prohibitory order under Section 144 of Criminal Procedure Code (CrPC) in the West Kameng district.
SUMAA to continue stir
The SUMAA on Wednesday declared that it would continue its movement against Tibetan Refugees even more aggressively in the future.
Dejected by the arrest of its two executive members on Tuesday, the Union stated the charges of extortion, unlawful activities, disruption of peace and tranquility, among others, levelled against the Union by the West Kameng district administration was nothing but a conspiracy hatched by the state government to crush the anti-refugee movement of the organization.
“No extortion related FIR has been lodged against SUMAA’s executive members at Bomdila and this move of the government is only to divert the attention of state’s public towards the ill effect of Tibetan policy provision. In fact the local legislators, West Kameng district administration and the state government is openly supporting and protecting Tibetan refugees and on the other hand unnecessarily arresting the SUMAA executive members on the pretext of unlawful activities and extortion,” Union president Tagru Tame said in a statement.