Since the beginning of this month, a student body called as Students’ United Movement of All Arunachal (SUMAA) began protesting against the Tibetan Rehabilitation Policy 2014 and since July 13 they have been carrying out rallies in Bomdila, Tenga and Rupa creating unrest among people. Community Based Organizations (CBO) other community leaders of Arunachal community condemned the student body’s activities.
“Community-based organizations (CBO), along with legislators, former panchayat members, administrative officers, police, representatives of political parties, frontal student unions and market welfare committees of West Kameng district have condemned the recent activities carried out by student body SUMAA in Bomdila and its adjoining areas.” said the report in The Arunachal Times on Thursday.
During the rallies carried out by student body, they went on checking residential certificates and trading licenses of the shops and building owners in the district without any authority and according to the report, undemocratic cases of forcible collection, intimidation, and victimization perpetrated by the study body were reported.
“A meeting was held here on Thursday under the aegis of the West Kameng Indigenous Tribes as a confidence-building measure and to boost the morale of the people. There has been unrest among the people, especially the business communities of Bomdila, Tenga and Rupa, due to recent activities of the SUMAA over the Tibetan Rehabilitation Policy.” added the report.
While the legislators and all the CBOs called for zero tolerance against any such activities, and urged the people to stand united the report also added that they also appealed to the people to come out of the fear psychosis and extend every possible help to the district administration and the police in curbing such menace in the future. The security has also been beefed up in Bomdila and its adjoining areas in view of the current situation
Tibetan Rehabilitation Policy (TRP) 2014 amended by the Central government of India to provide a uniform policy to all the Tibetan refugees in various states of the country was adopted by other states like Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Karnataka. The government of Arunachal Pradesh also proposed to implement the TRP 2014 on August 12 last year.
Following several protests against the implementation of the policy in Arunachal Pradesh, Chief Minister Pema Khandu assured that the Tibetan policy would not hamper the state interest or the interests of local people. The CM also requested cooperation from all the stakeholders especially the youth for the interest of the state.