Raising strong concerns over the growing demographic and cultural threats posed by unchecked illegal immigration, the All Arunachal Pradesh Students’ Union (AAPSU) has announced a statewide agitation beginning June 9, demanding urgent government action.
AAPSU General Secretary Ritum Tali said that the agitation will begin with coordinated dharnas and protest rallies across all district headquarters, culminating in a mass referendum in the Itanagar Capital Region on June 16.
“This campaign is a result of unanimous resolutions adopted at our recent meeting held at NEFA Club,” Tali said, adding, “Our foremost demand is the immediate purification of the state’s electoral rolls to remove names of non-Arunachal Pradesh Scheduled Tribe (non-APST) individuals and undocumented immigrants.”
The student body has passed a four-point resolution, with its primary focus including implementation of a three-tier voter verification mechanism to ensure only genuine, eligible voters remain on the rolls, cabinet-level approval for this verification process, a comprehensive policy for identifying and deporting illegal immigrants and active scrutiny of communities named in their memorandum, including the Chakma-Hajong, Bangladeshi Muslims, Nepali, Bhutanese, and Tibetan settlers.
Tali emphasised that the demographic integrity of Arunachal Pradesh is under threat and these measures are critical to safeguarding the rights, land and culture of indigenous tribes.
“We will not compromise when it comes to protecting the identity of our people. If the government continues to delay, public unrest may become inevitable,” he warned.
The agitation coincides with a recent directive from the Union Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA), instructing all states and Union Territories to verify the credentials of individuals suspected of being illegal immigrants from Bangladesh and Myanmar who are claiming Indian citizenship.
AAPSU leaders maintain that without strict enforcement, illegal immigration will destabilise the delicate demographic balance of the frontier state and erode the constitutional safeguards meant for its tribal population.
“The time for passive observation is over. This campaign is about survival — cultural, social, and political — of the indigenous people of Arunachal Pradesh,” said another AAPSU representative.
Follow us
