Chakmas and Hajongs

Why in news?

• The Committee for Citizenship Rights of Chakmas and Hajongs of Arunachal Pradesh (CCRCHAP) has stated that Chakmas and Hajongs will not cooperate with any census being taken on them.

About Chakmas and Hajongs:

• Chakmas and Hajongs were originally residents of the Chittagong Hill Tracts of erstwhile East Pakistan (Bangladesh), who had to flee when their land was submerged by the Kaptai dam project in the 1960s.
• The Chakmas, who are Buddhist, and Hajongs, who are Hindus, also faced religious persecution in East Pakistan (now Bangladesh).
• Chakmas and Hajongs entered India through the then Lushai Hills district of Assam (now Mizoram).
• The Centre moved the majority of them to the North East Frontier Agency (NEFA), which is now Arunachal Pradesh.
• Mizoram, Assam and Tripura also have significant Chakma populations.
• Their numbers have gone up from about 5,000 in 1964-69 to one lakh. At present, they don’t have citizenship and land rights but are provided basic amenities by the state government.

Recent issue:

• In 2015, the Supreme Court directed the Centre to grant citizenship to Chakma and Hajongs who had migrated from Bangladesh in 1964-69.
• They did not directly come into the ambit of the Citizenship Amendment Act, 2019 (CAA) because Arunachal Pradesh is among the states exempted from the CAA since it has an Inner Line Permit to regulate entry of outsiders.
• Stiff opposition from the state government had stalled the implementation of SC directive.
• Since the 1980s, the All Arunachal Pradesh Students’ Union (AAPSU) has spearheaded a mass movement against granting citizenship to Chakmas and Hajongs.
• The AAPSU fears that the refugees could soon outnumber the indigenous population and influence electoral outcomes.

PRELIMS QUESTION

Chakmas and Hajongs, two tribal groups recently seen in news, are predominately found in:

(a) Ladakh

(b) Central India

(c) Andaman

(d) North East India

Answer