A tribal group demanding the cancellation of electoral rights to non-indigenous people, mostly former Assam Rifles personnel, set several government offices on fire at Vijaynagar in Arunachal Pradesh’s Changlang district on Friday.
The arson followed the decision of the State Election Commission to defer the panchayat elections in areas under Vijaynagar Circle citing law and order issues. The rural polls are scheduled for December 22.
The district police said a large number of people led by Yobin (tribe) Students’ Union swooped down on Vijaynagar at around 8:30 am and burnt down the offices of the extra assistant commissioner, Special Branch of the State police and the post office.
“The miscreants, carrying machetes, sticks, bows and arrows, also ransacked the Vijaynagar police station and partially damaged the civil helipad,” State police spokesperson Hemant Tiwari said.
Kime Kaming, the Deputy Inspector-General of Police in charge of Tirap, Changlang and Longding districts reached Vijaynagar by chopper while other senior officials, including Inspector-General of Police (Law and Order) Chuku Apa, were on their way. “An additional force is being rushed to Vijaynagar for maintaining law and order,” the spokesperson said, adding that the senior officials will camp there until the situation becomes normal.
Non APST candidates
Trouble had been brewing in the area after the locals objected to the political parties fielding “non-APSTs” [non-Arunachal Pradesh Scheduled Tribes] for the posts of zilla parishad and gram panchayat members. The parties, including the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party, dropped such candidates after the All-Arunachal Pradesh Students’ Union took up the issue.
Vijaynagar, bordering Myanmar, is one of the remotest administrative circles of Arunachal Pradesh.
