Several government offices including the extra assistant commissioner’s (EAC) office were set on fire by protestors at Vijayanagar in Arunachal Pradesh’s Changlang district on Friday.
“A large number of youths and public led by the Yobin Students’ Union reached Vijaynagar from Gandhigram at around 8.30 am on Friday and burnt down the offices of the EAC, special branch (SB) and the post office,” the police said.
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Arunachal Pradesh Police public relations officer (PRO), Hemant Tiwari, said “the miscreants, who were carrying daos (machetes), sticks, bows and arrows, also ransacked the Vijaynagar police station and partially damaged the civil helipad.”
“No human lives were, however, lost in the incident,” Tiwari said while adding that the situation, though tense, is under control and additional force is being rushed to Vijaynagar for maintaining law and order.
The PRO said while Tirap, Changlang and Longding DIGP Kime Kaming has already left for Vijayanagar by a chopper, IGP (Law and Order) Chuku Apa, SP (SB) John Pada and Changlang SP Mihin Gambo are on their way.
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“The senior officers will camp in the area until the situation becomes normal,” Tiwari said.
As per the police, the protesters are demanding the cancelation of electoral rights given to non-indigenous people (mostly ex-Assam Rifles settlers) of Vijoynagar in the Panchayat election and their removal from the area.
The State Election Commission (SEC) has already deferred the election to the Gram Panchayat and Zilla Parishad constituencies of the area citing law and order issues.
The panchayat and municipal body elections are scheduled to be held simultaneously in the state on December 22.
Vijaynagar is one of the easternmost and remotest administrative circles of Arunachal. The desolated and isolated region located along the India-Myanmar Border takes around 6 to 8 days to reach on foot from the nearest town Miao, which is around 157 kms away.