SIR complaints must follow proper procedure: Arunachal CM
**EDS: THIRD PARTY IMAGE** In this picture released on July 27, 2026, Union Minister Kiren Rijiju during a meeting with Arunachal Pradesh Chief Minister Pema Khanda at Parliament House. (@KirenRijiju/X via PTI Photo) (PTI07_27_2026_000381B) | Photo credit:-
Three days after the violence in Bordumsa area of Changlang district over the alleged inclusion of “non-indigenous” communities in the electoral rolls, Arunachal Pradesh Chief Minister Pema Khandu said people with grievances must follow the rules governing the ongoing Special Intensive Review (SIR).
He urged students, organizations and residents of Changlang District to maintain peace and said any deviation from the prescribed process should be reported through written complaints to the relevant authorities.
First SIR since 2006
“SIR is being conducted in Arunachal Pradesh for the first time since 2006 and the rules governing the exercise clearly specify the documents required from the applicants and their parents as well as the procedure for their submission,” Mr Khandu said on Monday (September 7, 2026).
“Those who fulfill the prescribed eligibility criteria will be considered eligible to vote and those who do not fulfill the criteria will not be included in the electoral roll. The rules are very clear,” he said.
The Chief Minister said that people should have faith in the system and follow the procedures laid down for SIR. “If you find any discrepancy, file a written complaint. We can investigate,” he said.
Members of the All Arunachal Pradesh Students’ Union reportedly clashed with Chakma and Hajong people in Bordumsa area on September 4 during a hearing for the SIR process. Unions feared that Chakma and Hajong people, who are said to have settled in Arunachal Pradesh after 2006, would be included in the electorate.
The predominantly Buddhist Chakmas and Hindu Hajongs, displaced from the Chittagong Hill Tracts of erstwhile East Pakistan, were settled by the Center in Arunachal Pradesh in the 1960s.
On the India-China border
Regarding developments along the India-China border, the chief minister said he met representatives of the Nga and Mara communities in Taksing area of Upper Subansiri district to understand the situation on the ground.
He said the concerns and suggestions from the communities (in the Taksing area) were subsequently discussed with Defense Minister Rajnath Singh in New Delhi. “Concerned about the situation, the Center is expected to provide the necessary infrastructural support to the border regions in the coming days,” he said.
Published – 07 Sep 2026 21:20 IST