Itanagar, May 18: The Arunachal Schedule Tribes Bachao Andolan Committee (ASTBAC) on Sunday gave the state government a seven day deadline to act on its demands. If unmet, the committee said it will be forced to call a 72 hour statewide bandh.
“If the government fails to address our demands, there will be a 72 hour statewide bandh call,” ASTBAC chairman Sol Dodum said.
The committee’s key demand is a foolproof Inner Line Permit (ILP) checking mechanism to protect the state from illegal immigrants, which it called a major concern for indigenous citizens. ASTBAC also sought a clear report on the family trees of Tibetan refugees settled in Arunachal.
ASTBAC alleged the current ILP system is porous and marred by corruption at both the secretariat and check gates. “The government’s current ILP revamping proposal only talks about the positive points. There are so many drawbacks which need to be corrected and strengthened,” said ASTBAC general secretary Millo Ambo. He questioned why the political secretary is empowered to issue temporary ILPs for any place and to any person.
Ambo added that stringent clauses are needed to prevent misuse of power. He also flagged a provision allowing ILPs for mega project works to be extended up to two years.
The committee said it will not attend Monday’s meeting with Home Minister Mama Natung but remains open to talks with the chief minister. “We did not accept the invitation from the home minister for a roundtable discussion. If the government wants to resolve this issue, the chief minister should invite us for discussion,” Dodum said.
ASTBAC announced a three day online petition starting Sunday evening. It plans to submit the petition data with a formal representation and give the government four days to act.
Dodum clarified that the earlier 36 hour capital bandh was not politically motivated. “Whatever happened was because of mishandling by the state government, particularly the home minister,” he said. “The violence was avoidable and was triggered by the decision to forcibly open the market, which provoked the public.”
Dodum expressed his regret over injuries to police personnel, mediapersons, and officials, and the use of abusive language during the bandh call.
