<p>In Arunachal, a restricted state governed by the Inner Line Permit system, there is strong opposition to the Citizenship Amendment Bill, which if passed will ensure citizenship to the persecuted Tibetans, Chakmas and Hajongs</p>

- Nasreen Habib

When the Central government had given into popular sentiment in Arunachal by announcing limited citizenship status to Chakma and Hajong refugees and retracted on its earlier resolve to provide full citizenship to the two communities last year, the situation in Arunachal was still tense. The Chakmas and Hajongs had fled Bangladesh over 50 years ago to escape religious persecution and found refuge in Arunachal, then a part of NEFA (North East Frontier Agency). Over the years, there has been a tussle over land and resources between the indigenous communities and the Chakmas and Hajongs, and intense opposition to their recognition as ‘citizens’ with all constitutional rights, including the ownership of land.

The Citizenship Amendment Bill 2016 seeks to allow illegal immigrants from 6 minority communities—Hindus as in the Hajongs, Sikhs, Buddhists as in the Chakmas, Jains, Parsis and Christians. It is consistent with the ruling party’s imagination of India being the ‘natural’ home of Hindus. But the Bill has seen major protests in Assam, Arunachal and Meghalaya with the Meghalaya Cabinet categorically saying it doesn’t support the Bill. This is perhaps an indication of the fact that in Northeast India, more complex factors are at play. In Arunachal, too, the All Arunachal Pradesh Students Union (AAPSU) and the Opposition, mainly the People’s Party of Arunachal