Arunachal: Hundreds March to Raj Bhawan, Demand Immediate Deportation of Illegal Immigrants and Chakma-Hajong Refugees

AAPSU submitted a memorandum addressed to the Union Home Minister Amit Shah through the Governor of Arunachal Pradesh.

Braving inclement weather, hundreds of students and supporters thronged the streets of Itanagar on Monday in a massive rally led by the All Arunachal Pradesh Students’ Union (AAPSU) against illegal immigration.

The protest rally, covered a stretch of about 4 kilometers from Akashdeep Complex to Raj Bhawan. AAPSU members, student leaders demanded immediate identification and deportation of illegal immigrants and Chakma-Hajong refugees from the state.

AAPSU submitted a memorandum addressed to the Union Home Minister Amit Shah through the Governor of Arunachal Pradesh. In the memorandum, the union expressed deep concern over the increasing influx of illegal immigrants, claiming it poses a serious threat to the identity, culture, and land rights of the indigenous tribal population of the state.

“The influx of illegal immigrants and illegal occupation within the territory of Arunachal Pradesh has become a huge threat to the indigenous people of the state,” the memorandum stated. The union alleged that such unregulated settlement violates the Bengal Eastern Frontier Regulation (BEFR) of 1873 and other laws meant to safeguard tribal interests.

AAPSU further alleged that illegal settlers have encroached upon land and forest areas, displacing indigenous communities and disrupting the ecological balance. “They are illegally accessing government benefits and welfare schemes meant solely for APST beneficiaries,” the union said. It also flagged security concerns, stating that illegal immigrants with unverifiable origins pose threats such as communal tension, trafficking, and law-and-order disturbances.

The union highlighted a specific incident involving Thuing Singpho, a village chieftess whose ancestral land was reportedly encroached upon by Chakma-Hajong settlers. “Despite her persistent struggles and appeals for justice, the illegal settlers have forcibly occupied her land and committed acts of arson and vandalism, destroying her property and violating her fundamental rights as an indigenous tribal woman,” AAPSU added. The memorandum said this as not an isolated case but a reflection of a growing crisis affecting several parts of the state.

AAPSU stated that the population of Chakma-Hajong refugees, who were originally settled in Arunachal Pradesh between 1964 and 1968, has now unofficially crossed three lakhs. The union accused them of engaging in unlawful activities and occupying land belonging to indigenous communities like the Singpho, Khampti, and Tangsa. It warned that this demographic expansion is eroding tribal safeguards and intensifying land conflicts.

In its list of demands, AAPSU called for a thorough re-verification and clean-up of the state’s electoral roll, removal of all non-APST voters, deportation of illegal immigrants, and strong protection of the tribal identity of Arunachal Pradesh. While demanding deportation, the union also urged the Government of India to consider relocating the refugees to other parts of the country if immediate deportation is not viable, stating, “Arunachal Pradesh cannot bear the demographic and infrastructural burden.”

The student body expressed support for the Union Home Ministry’s recent directive to identify and deport illegal Bangladeshi immigrants and called for swift and decisive action to safeguard the rights of Arunachal’s indigenous communities.

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