Tension in Arunachal over inclusion of ‘non-indigenous’ groups in SIR
The alleged inclusion of members of the Chakma and Hajong communities in the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls triggered violence in Bordumsa area of Changlang district in Arunachal Pradesh on Friday (September 4, 2026). 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.
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According to reports on the ground, at least one person was injured in the violence, which included firing and stone throwing. The injured person was said to be a member of the All Arunachal Pradesh Students’ Union (AAPSU), which opposes the inclusion of non-indigenous communities in the state’s electoral rolls.
Officials said the situation remained tense throughout the day, prompting authorities to beef up security to maintain law and order.
Along with local organizations, AAPSU protested against the likely inclusion of Chakmas, especially those allegedly settled in Arunachal Pradesh after 2006, in the SIR process. “We want the state government to immediately suspend the SIR process in the Chakma and Hajong population areas. We also demand the arrest of the people who targeted our leaders during the protest,” AAPSU president Meje Taku told reporters. The organization has asked the Home Ministry not to register a First Information Report (FIR) against any of its members.
Enforcement of rights
Trouble began to mount in parts of Changlang district after the Chakma Development Foundation of India (CDFI) approached the National Human Rights Commission seeking its intervention in implementing a 1996 Supreme Court judgment as members of the community were allegedly prevented from attending SIR hearings in Bordumse.
The organization quoted the apex court’s direction which read: “The State of Arunachal Pradesh shall ensure that the life and personal liberty of each and every Chakma living in the State is protected and any attempt to forcefully evict them or drive them out of the State by organized groups like AAPSU shall be repelled by force…” requisition or police force if necessary.
CDFI said the SIR hearing in Bordumsa had to be postponed following protests by AAPSU. “The Bordums hearing could not be completed even yesterday (Thursday). The Electoral Registration Officer (ERÚ) could only hear 222 out of 252 Form 6 applications and only 150 out of 303 Form 7 applications,” he added.
Published – 04 Sep 2026 21:29 IST