The Arunachal Pradesh government will fight a legal battle in the Supreme Court “with all preparation” so that the 73,000-odd Chakma and Hajong refugees living in the State do not get citizenship with the help of the amended Citizenship Act, the Assembly was informed on Wednesday.
Chakma and Hajong refugees came from erstwhile East Pakistan, now Bangladesh, five decades ago.
The Supreme Court had directed the Centre in 2015 that they are accorded Indian citizenship.
Several organisations in the State have been opposing the idea of granting citizenship to them saying it would change its demography.
The State government had filed a review petition on October 26, 2015, against the apex court’s judgment but it was rejected, Chief Minister Pema Khandu said during the Question Hour.
Responding to a query from Congress MLAs Nabam Tuki and Wanglin Lowangdong, he also said the State government then filed a Special Leave Petition on September 14, 2016, which was admitted by the Supreme Court and the hearing is awaited.
Mr. Khandu said, following another SC verdict of 1996, the State government has been providing basic amenities to the refugees living in Changlang, Namsai and Papumpare districts.
Asked by Mr. Lowangdong about the possibility of the refugees moving the SC claiming themselves as the natives of the State, Mr. Khandu said the government will fight the case “with all preparation”.
