All flood-stranded villagers rescued in Arunachal

By Tejang Chakma


AS MANY as 185 Chakma villagers stranded in flash floods for more than three days in Arunachal Pradesh's Changlang district were finally rescued by an Indian Air Force (IAF) team on June 28, 2012.

The IAF was pressed into action after rescue operations by the Army and the local administration failed. The rescue operation began at 10.30 am and lasted for almost three hours. All the stranded and starving villagers which included women, children and aged were successfully evacuated by a Mi-17 chopper by 12.45 pm.

The smooth IAF rescue operation was made possible only after some expert swimmers, encouraged by Changlang Deputy Commissioner Opak Gao and Bordumsa ADC Kento Riba, monoeuvered across the turbulent river in two country boats to reach the inaccessible area where they built a makeshift helipad by planks that facilitated the landing of a chopper.

The IAF-rescued villagers joined other displaced families in temporary relief camps.


Arunachal Pradesh is prone to floods in particular during the monsoon. Due to high annual rainfall and geological fragility of the region, the floods render many people homeless, devastate agriculture, destroy road communication, towns and other public assets. In Changlang district, the Noa-Dehing river wreaks havoc. Thousand acres of lands have been lost in the last many years.

Published by Merinews.com, 29 June 2012

Army struggles to rescue 300 villagers trapped by Arunachal's flood

By Tejang Chakma

Published by Merinews.com, 28 June 2012

"The government and the Army failed to rescue about 300 Chakma villagers who are left stranded due to the flood fury in Arunachal Pradesh. Only about 150 villagers have been rescued and sheltered in relief camps so far."

AT LEAST 300 Chakma villagers trapped in flash flood water in Changlang district of Arunachal Pradesh could not be rescued till the morning of June 27. The villagers have been left stranded after their village was tore apart by the swollen Noa-Dehing river due to incessant rains in the intervening night of 23-24 June. Their conditions remained unknown.

On Monday, about 150 villagers were rescued by 100-odd country boats. However, majority of the people remained trapped as the Army’s mechanized motorboats failed to sail through turbulent flow and bad weather. The failure of the Army to rescue the remaining villagers prompted the local administration to press for the helicopter services. The state’s Chief Minister Nabam Tuki who has been personally monitoring the grave situation gave a go-ahead signal for deploying helicopters to rescue the villagers.

Nabam Tuki also sounded a red alert across the state in view of the devastating effect caused by incessant rains in the last several days. The Chief Minister has also sanctioned Rs 10 lakh to each of the Deputy Commissioners and Rs 5 lakh to each of Additional Deputy Commissioners.

The State’s Chief Secretary has also issued instructions to all administrative officers, including Deputy Commissioners and police in the districts, to remain alert and assess the situation immediately and submit their reports. Similar instructions were also issued to the District Disaster Management Departments to alert all the relief and rehabilitation officers. The medical department has further been alerted to keep medicines in sufficient stock, while the civil supplies department has been asked to keep in stock sufficient foodgrains to meet any eventuality.

The steps taken by the government are commendable. However, the failure to rescue the remaining villagers even after three days indicates lack of preparedness and prompt activation of the emergency response plan. The approach at best has been reactive-responding to disasters after they occur. This is despite the fact that, for instance, the Deputy Commissioner, Changlang has reviewed the preparedness to tackle the monsoon fury with the HoDs, Assam Rifles and CRPF last month.

It is important to save the lives of the stranded villagers at the earliest but at the same time this should be an important lesson to be learnt.

Anti-Torture Day: India's record on torture continues to be grim

By Tejang Chakma

Publish in Merinews.com, 26 June 2012

"Custodial torture continues to be reported at regular interval in India. The government failed to enact the anti-torture law so far. As a result, torture is not regarded as a crime and continues to be part and parcel of law enforcement."

EVERY YEAR, June 26 is observed as International Day in Support of victims of torture. On this day in 1987, the United Nations Convention Against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment came into effect.

There is nothing to cheer about in India on this occasion. India has failed to address torture and its record on torture continues to be grim.

Cases of custodial torture are reported at regular intervals. India is yet to ratify the UN Convention Against Torture after the treaty was signed way back in 1997. In April 2008, the UN Human Rights Council recommended India to expedite ratification of the Convention against Torture during India’s human rights records examination under Universal Periodic Review. India accepted the recommendation and stated that the ratification of the Convention is under process.

Four years later, in May 2012, India was again asked by the member states of the UN to expedite ratification of the Convention during India’s second review under the UPR. It failed to honour its commitment. The Prevention of Torture Bill continues to be stuck in the Parliament. India also failed to extend invitation to the UN Special Rapporteur on Torture whose request to visit the country has been pending since 1993.

In its report Torture in India 2011, Asian Centre for Human Rights, a prominent human rights organization in the country, states that “there has been no reduction in incidents of torture in India which remains endemic, institutionalised and central to the administration of justice and counter-terrorism measures.”

As per the report, 14,231 persons died in police and judicial custody in India from 2001-2010. Of these, 1504 deaths occurred in police custody. About 99.99% of deaths in police custody can be ascribed to torture and occur within 48 hours of the victims being taken into custody, the report underlined.

The report further added that “these deaths were often passed off as suicides, sudden medical complications, self-inflicted injuries and natural deaths.”

Many of the victims were lucky to have survived custodial torture. According to National Human Rights Commission a total of 2681 persons were tortured in police custody, which has not resulted in deaths, during 2008-2011. This figure is far from accurate. Many of the cases are not reported at all out of fear or some other reasons. Moreover, it is not mandatory for the police or the administration to inform the NHRC about cases of custodial torture not resulting in deaths like the cases of death in custody.

The Constitution of India, the courts and the National Human Rights Commission prohibit torture. However, the security forces disregard these institutions. Torture is still not a crime as it is treated as an inevitable part of investigation.

Torture will continue to be reported in the country as long as India fails to take measures to address it. It is high time the government enacts the legislation criminalizing torture at the earliest and honour its commitment made in 2008 during the UPR examination.

75 families trapped in flash flood water in Arunachal Pradesh

By Tejang Chakma


Published on Merinews.com, 25 June 2012

"Hundreds of Chakma villagers in Arunachal Pradesh's Changlang district have been rendered homeless and are at risk of being washed away by flash floods caused due to incessant rains in the last few days. 59 houses have been inundated and 16 others have been washed away."

FLASH FLOOD caused by incessant rains in the past few days in Arunachal Pradesh’s Changlang district has rendered 75 Chakma families homeless. The swollen Noa-Dehing river caused extensive damages to two Chakma villages of Vijaypur-I and Vijaypur-II under Bordumsa circle.

At about 12.30 am on June 24, the turbulent river breached the anti-erosion protection wall built by the Water Resource Department (WRD) in 2010-11 on the left bank and tore apart the area between Vijaypur-I and Vijapur-II. 59 houses have been inundated and 16 others washed away. As the two villages are ripped apart, the right side remained inaccessible and 75 families, including women, children and aged, remained trapped because of the flood water.

Rescue work remained hampered due to the strong currents of the river and couldn't be started till the morning of June 25. These families are at risk of being washed away anytime. Actual situation will be known once the area is accessible. It is feared that many could have been drowned.

In addition, standing crops, road, livestock, etc were washed away, while an under construction PMGSY bridge was completely damaged. The affected Chakma villagers also lost important official documents in the deluge.

Many families are also affected in the left side. The Vijaypur middle school has been declared as a temporary relief camp till the situation improves by the local administration. Relief items including rice, kerosene oil, drinking water, fruits, etc are distributed by the local administration and an NGO among the hapless people. A medical camp has reportedly been set up. The local administration has announced Rs. 2,000 each as immediate relief for those whose houses were completely washed away.

There was no report of casualty in the affected area in the left side. But, a sick villager died in a hospital in Assam due to delay caused by the flood in providing treatment.

Flood due to incessant rains is not new in the area. However, the current flood has been described as a “never-seen-before phenomenon” by the affected people. Large area, including agricultural lands has been washed away or remained submerged.

The combined population of the two villages is over 3000. There is already scarcity of land among the Chakmas due to loss of land in the past floods. The situation will only exacerbate.

Afghan refugee family denied space in India

By Tejang Chakma

Published by Merinews.com, 24 June 2012

"Last year an Afghan woman with her six family members was refused refugee status by UN Refugee Agency in its office in Delhi. The family had fled Afghanistan following threats to their lives. But their problems aggravated after arrival in Delhi, as they had to face threats of detention and deportation."

WORLD REFUGEE Day is celebrated every year on June 20. First held in 2001, the day is marked to highlight the plight of the millions of refugees worldwide who are forced to flee their homes.

The day reminded me of meeting a woman wearing a burqa in my office. I don’t exactly remember the day, but it was October last. Someone referred the name of the organization I am associated with to her for assistance. The woman, aged about 40 years, was running from pillar to post after her application for grant of refugee status was rejected by the UNHCR, Delhi for the second time.

She was from Afghanistan. Like many, she fled her country and came to India in 2008 to save her life. She was not alone. There were six others - five children and one sister. Out of the five children, four were daughters, aged between 15 and 20. The youngest was the son of five years. While her sister was 19-years-old.

I was taken aback to hear her story. Prior to arrival in India, she was living somewhere in Kabul. The death of her husband in a car accident in 2006 forced her to work as a teacher to take care of her children. However, the money she was earning was not adequate. Soon she started running a beauty parlour, a risky venture in Afghanistan, to support her five children. Troubles started since then. She was repeatedly threatened by some elements suspected to be the Taliban who wanted her to close down the beauty parlour – the only one in her locality. She approached the local Afghan Police but got no protection.

After the death of her father-in-law in 2008, the threats intensified each day. According to her, one day, two persons physically assaulted one of her daughters. Few days later, the same persons threatened to kidnap her daughters.

In order to protect herself and daughters, she decided to take shelter in Tajikistan. All of them applied for Tajik visas, which were issued. However, the people close to the Taliban came to know about it and threatened her telephonically in her mobile phone that they will follow them to Tajikistan and kill them there, she alleged.

Out of fear, she decided to abort the plan of going to Tajikistan and further decided to come to India. They applied for Indian visas and reached Delhi.

After arrival in India, she along with her family members applied for the grant of refugee status from the UNCHR, Delhi. Unfortunately, the UNCHR rejected her application on the grounds that it did not qualify for recognition as a refugee under UNCHR Mandate.

She argued that the UNCHR rejected her application, as the translator she was provided with was unable to put her case (problems she was facing in her country) convincingly before the UNCHR due to language problem during the interview. Her translator speaks Persian while she speaks Dari language. There is a big difference in the language. Yet, she was provided the same translator during the second interview.

As her application was rejected the dejection on her face was palpable. She was more concerned about her children and younger sister. She had no place to go. They could not go back to Afghanistan due to threats to their lives. While in India they were living under constant threats of deportation and detention.

This is not the one-off case. There are many refugees who have been denied protection for one reason or the other. They are forced to live in extreme situations and are highly vulnerable to abuse. Situation is worst for this Afghan woman with daughters for reasons, which require no explanation.

NHRC to the rescue of deprived Chakma families of Assam

By Tejang Chakma

Published by Merinews.com, 23 June 2012

"Right to development is a human right. But the condition of about 30 Buddhist Chakma families of Bonkokha village in Cachar district of Assam remains dismal. No development ever reaches this remote village in the last 40 years."

THE NATIONAL Human Rights Commission (NHRC) in a recent order asked the District Magistrate (DM) of Cachar, Assam to file an action taken report over the continued suffering and deprivation of basic facilities to the tribal Chakma families in a remote village in the district.

Acting on a petition filed by Asian Centre for Human Rights, a prominent human rights organization, the NHRC directed the DM to file the report returnable within one month.

Right to development is a human right. However, the condition of about 30 Buddhist Chakma families of Bonkokha village under Lakhipur sub-division in Cachar district remained dismal over the last four decades.

No development and welfare schemes have ever reached these families living in the far-flung area in the upper reaches of the Barak Valley bordering Assam and Manipur. Their cry for development always goes unnoticed by the authorities.

The village is without any basic amenities. There is not a single primary school, no primary or subsidiary health care centre, no electricity and employment opportunities. Nor there is any fair-price shop to get the benefit of the public distribution system.

There is no provision of safe drinking water. The lack of drinking water facilities forced the villagers to drink water from river, stream or hilly rivulet. As a result, cases of stomach disorder are not uncommon.

There is no road connectivity and the village virtually remained cut off from the mainland. The situation turns worst in times of medical emergencies. The only way out to the villagers is to shift the patients to Fulertal or Lakhipur, a time-consuming and costly affair.

The villagers are not covered under the National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme of the Government of India. They depend on natural resources, work as daily wage earners and jhum cultivation.

The Centre's development and welfare schemes are non-existent. The Multi-Sectoral Development Programme (MsDP), a programme for the welfare and development of religious minorities, is not reaching these Buddhist minorities. As a Buddhists, the villagers should have been provided various welfare schemes such as health centre, dispensary, schools including anganwadis etc. Not only MsDP, even tribal development schemes do not reach these tribals.

Lack of development forced the tribals to abandon their village. The village was home to over 50 families some years back. At least 20 families move to other places in search of livelihood opportunities. The remaining families are also planning to move out.

Situation Vacant for President: Tribals Not Eligible!

Who will be the next President of India? Is it Pranab Mukherjee or Hamid Ansari! PA Sangma, sorry tribals are not eligible for the post.

As APJ Abdul Kalam pulled out of the Presidential race, it looks certain that Pranab Mukherjee is all set to become the 13^th President of India. Given the lack of supports Hamid Ansari has little prospect. The last date for filing nomination is still few days away. Anything can happen in a political situation which is characterized by the “expect the unexpected” syndrome. We have already witnessed the political drama that unfolded few days ago surrounding the presidential candidature.

However, what looks certain is that there shall be no President from the tribal communities of India. Former Lok Sabha speaker PA Sangma although reiterated that he is still in the fray as a tribal candidate, it is highly unlikely for him that his candidature will be backed. NCP Chief Sharad Pawar had already asked Sangma to withdraw his candidature. There is no indication of support from other political parties so far except Tamil Nadu Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa and Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik. The BJP is still undecided.

The country has never seen a tribal holding the office of President, Vice-President or the Prime Minister since independence. The time and setting has been the most perfect one for the political parties to go for a person from the tribal communities. There is no dearth of capable tribal leaders. Sangma is one the most fit tribal leaders at this time. The willingness shown by Sangma should have been an added advantage in view of the current indecisiveness over selection of candidature. More so, it was perhaps PA Sangma, among the tribals, who reached the farthest in terms of high political office in the country when he became the Speaker of the Lok Sabha.

If a person from the Scheduled Castes and religious minorities can hold high offices, why not a tribal? Tribals are equally capable enough to hold high offices given a chance. Further, PA Sangma as the President would have been the most important stride in the backdrop of racial discrimination and alienation being faced by the people from the northeast India.