Itanagar: The All Arunachal Pradesh Students’ Union (AAPSU) will launch a statewide protest campaign against illegal immigration from June 9, citing concerns that unchecked infiltration threatens the demographic and cultural identity of Arunachal Pradesh.
AAPSU General Secretary Ritum Tali said the agitation will begin on June 9 with coordinated dharnas and rallies across all district headquarters, followed by a mass referendum in the Itanagar Capital Region on June 16.
“The decision was taken during a recent meeting at NEFA Club, where we adopted a four-point resolution,” Tali stated.
“Our key demand is the immediate purification of the state’s electoral rolls by removing names of non-Arunachal Pradesh Scheduled Tribe (non-APST) individuals and illegal immigrants.”
The students’ body is seeking cabinet-level approval for a three-tier verification process to ensure only eligible voters remain registered.
AAPSU has also called for a comprehensive policy on the identification and deportation of undocumented migrants. The union named several communities, including the Chakma-Hajong, Bangladeshi Muslims, Nepali, Bhutanese, and Tibetan settlers, in their demand for scrutiny.
Tali stressed that the measures are necessary to protect the rights and identity of the state’s indigenous tribes. “The government must act immediately. Failure to address this issue could lead to severe public unrest,” Tali warned.
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The campaign coincides with a recent directive from the Union Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA), which has instructed all states and Union Territories to verify the credentials of individuals suspected of being illegal immigrants from Bangladesh and Myanmar claiming Indian citizenship.
AAPSU has asserted that a failure to curb illegal immigration poses a significant threat to the indigenous rights and demographic stability of Arunachal Pradesh.
