That Chakmas are 1L is Goebbels-speak: Suhas Chakma

Suhas Chakma, former member of the core group of NGOs of the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC), tells Jigme Pazo that Chakmas and Hajongs are fully integrated and assimilated into local societies

Will the fact that Hajongs and Chakmas are Hindus and Buddhists make their assimilation into the Indian population easier than say, that of Muslim Rohingyas?

Chakmas and Hajongs are already assimilated. The Chakmas and their neighbouring communities, Khamtis and Singphos, are Buddhists and throughout the year they organize religious festivals together, apart from many inter community marriages. India has assimilated all including the Afghans since Soviet invasion in 1979 and Taliban rule from 1996 to 2001 and the Rohingyas will not be an exception.

Is the Centre right in denying citizenship to the kids of refugees born in India as per the provision of the Supreme Court?

Chakmas and Hajongs born in India have been voting as Indian citizens since 2004. However a majority of them are not included in the voter list because of discrimination - it is akin to Dalits who were not enrolled into voter lists until the 1980s. Citizenship is being demanded only for about 6,087 Chakmas and Hajongs who had migrated and are still alive, while the remaining 45,000 Chakmas and Hajongs are already citizens by birth.

How can the SC order granting citizenship to the refugees be modified to ensure that the rights of the indigenous population are not diluted (as Kiran Rijiju has called for)?

Legally, there is no scope whatsoever to seek modification of the judgment of 1996 as the review petition was dismissed by the Supreme Court in 2002. The Citizenship Act and Rules specify the criteria and time frame for granting citizenship. You cannot seek modification on such procedural aspects saying that we will not process the applications which is contempt of the court. As per 2015 judgment directing to process citizenship applications pursuant to the 1996 judgment within three months, MoS home Kiren Rijiju already filed a petition seeking modification of the time frame to process the citizenship applications and the court had granted the time sought. I have met some BJP leaders on the issue and was given the impression that seeking modification of the judgment is neither the position of the government nor the party.

Is there any possibility of a compromise with Bangladesh government to take back Chakmas and restore their rights?

The government taking note of the situation of religious minorities including in Bangladesh had issued executive order stating that any Buddhist, Hindu, Christian and Sikh who has come to India with or without visa as on 31.12.2014 can stay in India indefinitely and it proposed Citizenship Amendment Bill, 2016 to grant citizenship to these people. Therefore, the question of sending the Chakmas back to Bangladesh is delusional.

Are Chakmas and Hajongs justified in seeking full citizenship rights including land ownership as opposed to partial citizenship that is being offered?

There's nothing called partial citizenship - you are either a citizen or not. It is pertinent to mention that Chakmas and Hajongs did not go to Arunachal Pradesh on their own - they were taken by the Central government and settled under various schemes to beef up security after the 1962 China war, and therefore, any contention raised with respect to Inner Line permit have been declared void ab initio by the Supreme Court and the Guwahati High Court as the Central Government, the authority to grant permission, had settled them, and therefore, the Chakmas and Hajongs never required inner line permit ever.

Could the present stalemate in Arunachal Pradesh have been completely avoided merely by having consulted the local leaders prior to settling the refugees in the state?

It's false to say that the Chakmas and Hajongs were settled without consultation, as chiefs of the Khamti, Singpho and Thangsa communities were consulted before settlement. Fact remains Chakmas and Hajongs were not discriminated until 1980 and they were employed by Arunachal Pradesh UT administration and Union of India. Officially, employment of Chakmas with the state government was banned in 1980 as a consequence of the anti-foreigner agitation in Assam. But Chakmas continue to be employed by the Centre including for defence forces. It is another matter that today ULFA, which went underground against foreigners, accepted contribution of the immigrants in building Assam while All Assam Students Union rechristened as AGP formed the government in Assam with the BJP, which went to polls on the plank of protecting minorities who came to India, including Assam, latest by 31.12.2014. But Chakmas and Hajongs continue to suffer.

How do you explain the escalation of Chakma numbers from 2000 in 1969 to the current 100,000?

That Chakma numbers is 100,000 is Goebbels speak. As Kiren Rijiju told TOI on September 20, a total of 14,888 Chakmas/Hajongs were settled in Arunachal Pradesh by the government during 1964-69. As per 2011 Census, Chakma/Hajongs increased to 47,471 persons -- that is an increase by 218% in 47 years while the Scheduled Tribes of Arunachal Pradesh also increased by 218% from 2,99,944 persons in 1961 to 9,51,821 people in 2011. However, other non-tribals, such as Adivasis, Assamese, Nepalese, Muslims, Marwaris, Biharis, etc., increased from 36,614 people in 1961 to 3,84,435 in 2011 -- an increase by about 1,000%. There's no escalation of Chakma population.

Is Arunachal going Assam way with violent clashes over refugees in future?

Foreigners issue is dead and buried in Assam. BJP came to power with the promise of giving citizenship to those whom many fringe elements in Assam call refugees or illegal immigrants. Unlike, many parts of Northeast, there were no violent clashes between Chakmas and Hajongs and other local communities in the past. There will not be any violence in Arunachal, not because of only 1996 judgment but because Chakmas and Hajongs are fully integrated and assimilated into the local society.