The Gorkha community in Arunachal Pradesh’s Vijaynagar has sought Governor Brig (Retd) BD Mishra’s intervention to bring back normalcy in the violence-hit area.
The Gorkha Welfare Society (GWS) and the All Settlers Welfare Association (ASWA), Vijaynagar, submitted a joint representation to Governor Brig (Retd) BD Mishra.
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Notably, violence broke out in remote town of Vijaynagar in Arunachal Pradesh’s Changlang district on December 11.
Violent protests broke out in Vijaynagar with several Government offices in the town being gutted over voting rights of a former Assam Rifles personnel in the panchayat polls.
Emphasising the contribution of the Assam Rifles personnel, the Gorkha community expressed, “Assam Rifles personnel did not settle in Vijaynagar by their own will or by their choice. Had it been out of own choice and convenience, we too would have chosen the accessible area bordering Assam.”
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Both the organisations stated that the settlers had been sent to the then uninhabited land of Vijaynagar on the line of duty during the Srijitga expedition to integrate the area and to mark Vijaynagar as an Indian territory.
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The organisations claimed that it was the then North East Frontier Agency (NEFA) administration which submitted the settlement proposal to the Government of India during 1962-63.
“The scheme was then approved by the Government of India in principle in 1964, and agreed to include it as a planned scheme under the Five Year Plan of the country,” the organisations said.
The organisations claimed that 200 families of the Assam Rifles were settled in four different batches – the first batch (25 families) during 1967-68; the second batch (25 families) during 1968-69; the third batch (52 families) during 1969-70; and the fourth batch (100 families) during 1970-71.
“It is well on record that there was no international boundary between India and Myanmar. It was only demarcated in 1971-1972 after the settlement of our fathers/grandfathers in Vijaynagar valley, which clearly explains the underlying objective of settlement of Assam Rifles personnel,” they said.
The organisations further alleged that the All Yobin Students’ Union has been issuing intimidation letters and recorded videos to the descendants of the ex-Assam Rifles settlers in Vijaynagar on the basis of the 30-year lease agreement.