ITANAGAR, 8 Sep: The All Arunachal Pradesh Students' Union (AAPSU) on Tuesday launched a scathing attack on Manipur-based Kuki Human Rights Council (KHRC) for its recent letter to the NHRC and the UN against the AAPSU over the special intensive revision (SIR) issue in Bordumsa, terming it "baseless, politically motivated and an unwanted interference in the internal matters of Arunachal Pradesh."

Reacting to the KHRC's letter, AAPSU president Meje Taku in a press statement said the organisation has no locus standi to speak on Arunachal's indigenous issues.

"This is purely a matter of Arunachal Pradesh and its indigenous people. It has absolutely nothing to do with some community organisation sitting in Lamka, Churachandpur, in another state. We strongly condemn this attempt to internationalise our internal issue," he stated.

The apex students' body clarified its stand on the Bordumsa SIR hearings. The AAPSU said the SIR is a statutory exercise conducted by the Election Commission of India to purify the electoral roll, and the AAPSU, as a stakeholder, "has every democratic right to ensure that no illegal and doubtful names are included in the voter list of the state."

"The Chakma and Hajong issue is not a minority rights issue. It is a 60-year-old unresolved issue of indigenous survival. They were brought and settled as guests on humanitarian grounds in 1964-69 by the Government of India. Today, the indigenous tribes of Changlang are becoming a minority in their own land. Our protest is to protect our land, our culture, and our identity guaranteed under Article 371H and the Bengal Eastern Frontier Regulation, 1873," the union said.

On the KHRC's allegation of violent obstruction, the AAPSU said its agitation was democratic and peaceful to voice the genuine fear of the indigenous people. "Instead of filing FIRs against our students, the administration should listen to the voice of the indigenous people," it said.

In a strong counter, the AAPSU asked the KHRC to focus on its own home, instead of poking its nose into Arunachal.

"It is ironic that a council that talks about human rights fails to see the human rights tragedy in its own backyard. Manipur has been burning for more than three years. Thousands of their own people, including women and children, are languishing in relief camps. Thousands are displaced. Before preaching equality, justice and freedom to Arunachal, the KHRC should first ensure equality, justice and freedom for their own people. Solve your own house first," the AAPSU said.

The AAPSU further warned that Arunachal will not be a dumping ground for illegal settlement, and will not allow any external forces to dictate its future.

"Arunachal belongs to its indigenous tribes. No amount of letters to the UN or NHRC by any outside organisation can change this historical and constitutional fact. We appeal to the chief election commissioner of India and the state government not to bow down to such external pressure tactics and to complete the SIR process with full transparency," the statement added.

The AAPSU also urged the people of Arunachal to remain united to protect the indigenous rights of the state.