ITANAGAR: Section 144 was clamped in Pasighat, the administrative hub of East Siang district in Arunachal Pradesh, after Adi Baane Kebang Youth Wing (ABKYW) announced an “indefinite lockdown” in the town on December 20.
Anticipating potential law and order issues and disturbances on college campuses, district magistrate Tayi Taggu swiftly imposed prohibitory orders restricting gatherings of five or more people and prohibit the carrying of arms in Pasighat town.
The College of Horticulture and Forestry (CHF) and the College of Agriculture (CoA) have become focal points of the protests, with ABKYW insisting that a majority of appointments in these colleges must be from the state’s Scheduled Tribe community.
Dr B. N. Hazarika, the Dean of CHF, told the local press that both colleges are currently under lockdown, and there have been no reported law and order issues.
The district administration has implemented sufficient security measures to ensure peace, he confirmed.
Additionally, a team of competent authorities from the Central Agriculture University in Imphal is scheduled to arrive in Pasighat on December 28.
They will conduct a meeting with the organisation the following day, aiming to find a resolution to the ongoing issue, as mentioned by Dr. Hazarika.
The ABKYW, an influential organisation in the state, is pushing for substantial representation of the state’s scheduled tribe community in job appointments within these educational institutions as well.
Specifically, they are demanding an 80% job reservation for Arunachal Pradesh Scheduled Tribes in group A and B posts and complete 100% reservation in group C and D posts.
Earlier, the youth organisation had issued an ultimatum on December 13, giving authorities a seven-day deadline to address the concerns.
The lockdown was set in motion after the expiration of this one-week grace period.
The ABKYW had previously staged an 8-hour dharna (sit-in protest) at the CHF and CoA campuses on December 4, expressing their discontent with the current employment scenario in these academic institutions.
