Our Own People in Dark Shadows

Whenever you feel that you have not been served an even hand by fate, think of Kashmiri Hindus, think of Reangs, and Dimasas and many more communities who were displaced under in their own country while their own governments looked on listlessly. Think of Hindu refugees of Partition in Jammu Kashmir who suffered untold miseries for 75 years for no mistake of theirs till this govt nullified Article 370 and 35A. Think of Hindu Refugees from Pakistan, Bouddha refugees, the Chakmas and Hajongs from the then East Pakistan. Both Post Partition Hindu and Bouddha refugees who had to escape Islamist hell holes have remained outside our gaze and have suffered because they refused to give up their Dharma.

 

 

I had written about Hindu refugees from West Pakistan a few weeks back

 

https://hindupost.in/dharma-religion/the-unseen-unheard-hindus) after a number of visits. I wrote about Reangs, Hajongs, Dimasas and Chakmas in my book – Conflict Resolution The RSS Way, where I talked about their neglect and RSS efforts to rehabilitate them. But I had not met Chakmas in their own habitat so far. I finally got to visit them in Arunachal Pradesh in Chamlang district on insistence of my young friend Kiran Chukkupalli who is supporting them in improving their education facilities through his Voluntary Organisation – Think Peace.

 

Just to refresh our memories, Chakmas stood with Bharat on 15 Aug 1947 and hoisted tricolour, being sure that their Buddhist majority congruent area would stay with Bharat. Alas, it was not to be. No leader was interested in moving the partition lines on map of Bharat even by a millimetre anywhere, not even for the holy Nankana Sahib. But for courageous leaders like Gopinath Bordoloi and Shyama Prasad Mukherjee, we might have lost entire Assam and Bengal too.

 

The initial exodus of Chakmas happened due to immediate violent reaction against their support for Bharat by Pakistanis. However, the biggest exodus took place in 1964 due to persecution by the Islamists. Initially, according to the elders of the community, they received good support in Tripura. However, there was local resistance later, forcing large numbers to move to Mizoram, Nagaland etc. A large number of Chakmas also ended up in Arunachal Pradesh, their numbers being around 65000 now. The state government provided them land, without any official registration. They cleared jungles, started farming and slowly settled in those inhospitable areas. From 1964 to 2024, it is 60 years now. However, there is no certainty about their education, jobs or future. This is the third generation of young Chakmas who have their fourth generation of children coming up.

 

 

Chakmas had been granted the right to Indian citizenship in 1994 through Supreme Court decision. Government was told to provide all the Chakmas with citizenship immediately. However, nothing happened because in the light of SC judgement, Chakmas were hounded, attacked and their houses burnt down. This violence was allegedly led by AAPSU (All Arunachal Pradesh Students Union). The Congress government watched from the sidelines. In 1996, the government schools that were operative in Chakma populated areas, were shut down quietly by Gegong Apang the Congress CM. Chakmas went to SC again. In 2015, SC again directed the respective governments to grant them citizenship rights within 3 months. Nothing has happened so far.

 

To find a solution to the apathy of the state government Chakmas had to open their own schools, mostly primary, and just a few secondary. All these schools are private initiatives without any government support. If you visit these, you will wonder whether they live in some time warp. A few photos are posted here. I was moved by their sincerity in educating their children. There are no colleges in the region. They don’t have resources to open colleges and probably law won’t even allow them to open higher education institutions. So, children must go to Assam, Maharashtra or even Karnataka for higher education. Remember, they are all farm labour, or tenant farmers or roadside vendors. They hardly have any savings. How do these families manage to get their children educated? There is no clue, except that they must be tightening their stomach to raise their children. Most of the youth have passed 10th and are unemployed. There are no hospitals nearby so they take an ambulance to Tinsukhia at a cost of 5000 INR.

 

No central scheme is applicable to them. No toilet funding, no PM Awas, no Swachchata Abhiyan containers, no Ayushman Bharat. Because they have only Aadhar card, but no voter ID nor citizenship. Some schemes from central government don’t work for them because they don’t have Panchayati raj. They don’t have Panchayati raj because their Panchayats were dissolved in 1996 unceremoniously by the same Apang govt. and never revived. Out of approximately 65000 Chakmas, only 6000 odd Chakmas have received voter card after insistent follow up. Due to SC directive state govt should provide Voter ID, but according to the locals, despite every govt proof in place, majority of Chakmas are denied voter card with false reasons marked on the applications.

 

Earlier, there was a Resident Proof Certificate (RPC) card issued by the government so they could get jobs in army and some other government jobs. Even that was withdrawn by the present BJP state government in 2022 due to pressure of militant AAPSU that dictates terms to all the state governments. There was a week long peaceful sit in by the Chakmas and Hajongs for reinstating it, but nothing changed. This PRC could allow Chakmas and Hajongs to join central government jobs and join army, get private jobs. Those doors are closed now. Surprisingly, in Assam, while Biharis were pushed out as they were “outsiders”, the need for labour and blue collar jobs saw Bangladeshi Muslims substituting them. Something similar might happen in Arunachal Pradesh and other states too.

 

Chakmas are gritty, working hard to rise through poverty and neglect. Many of them have made a success of their lease hold farming with new unconventional crops like areca nut (supari). Many have somehow managed to get their children higher education. However, they have no space in the state government because they are denied citizenship despite SC directive. As per international convention any person born in India becomes a naturalised citizen of this country. However, even this is not happening.

 

While entire Bharat is enjoying the benefits of central welfare schemes, why can’t residents of Bharat for more than 60 years get those benefits? State governments, like infamous earlier Jammu & Kashmir governments, can sit over their citizenship; but I hope that central govt extends its schemes to these people living in the shadows of neglect.

When Modi ji is doing everything possible for the neglected marginalised Indians, the state governments must chip in and help them lead a life of dignity. Their schools have a strength of 200 to 300. They charge 320-350 INR per students. The owners had to break into their savings to pay the salaries of their teachers numbering 6 to 10 per school during Covid lock down. Their families do farming and these principals and owners use that money to keep schools running. When I asked one of them, “Why don’t they simply shut down the school?”, he said, “What will our coming generations say about me? This will be like a sin.” A Khasi lady who married a Chakma is working sincerely with a smile for nearly a decade with hope that someday their school will have better facilities. She has just received five laptops as a digital lab and three toilets from Think Peace.

 

Chakmas claim that since the BJP government has come to power, they are allowed admission to nearby government schools, otherwise there was an undeclared embargo on their admission. Other public facilities too are improving. But fundamental issues of education, health and citizenship haunt them.

 

Chakmas are non-violent peaceful tribe. They have suffered enough. Many of them had joined army too with RPC. With their hard work they can be an asset to the society. Earlier they had refugee card too, now no more. Should we play with the future of a people whose only fault is that they were not Muslims in an Islamic country? A veteran leader of Chakmas, Snehkumar Chakma told Vinay Sahasrabuddhe in August 1987 that when he went to meet Nehru in Delhi for succour, he was made to wait for 45 days and finally told curtly, “You are expecting help from India, but if you do not wish see India in slavery, do not expect any help”; and he walked out of the room. Times have changed. Our PM is deeply committed to the welfare of all – sabka sath, sabka vikas. I hope h will be able to convince the respective central ministers and state governments in North Eastern Region to give our Bouddh brethren some relief so their children can look forward to better future.

I wish these victims of fate the best for the future.