Recently, there was a series of violence and arson in Vijaynagar, wherein a 500-odd strong mob, allegedly armed with weapons burnt down government buildings including the Extra Assistant Commissioner’s (EAC) office, Strategic Office, post-office, and also ransacked the local police station. The families and descendants of the ex-army families were also threatened of eviction by Yobin Students Union.

Here, it must be noted that during the 1960s, many retired and ex-army personnel of Assam Rifles, mostly belonging to the Gorkha community were sent by the Government of India to settle down in the easternmost frontiers of Vijaynagar. This region holds critical strategic importance from India’s national security perspective.

Speaking to TheDC, a member of the delegation said “the Hon’ble Defence Minister gave a patient hearing to our plights and said that he will speak with the State Government regarding the issue. The Minister also assured us that all measures will be taken up for ensuring the protection and safety of the Ex-Army families living in the area.”

The delegation also submitted a copy of their with Darjeeling MLA, Neeraj Tamang Zimba who is currently in Delhi.

“Presently, we are also consulting with lawyers and preparing to file a petition with the Supreme Court for intervention. We are exploring all options to ensure that our families are protected and safeguarded in the long run as the matter not only pertains to our individual lives, but the security of the nation in long run. It must be noted that our grandfathers did not come here by choice, but following the orders of the Government of India. We have contributed to the development of this uninhabited land so that it could be part of India. But today, once our utility is over, we are being asked to evict and go away. This is injustice to us” said a member of the delegation.

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Today, the ex-army families have been served an ultimatum to leave the place by the Lisu (Yobin) Students body. The Lisu people span over territories of China, Myanmar, Thailand and claim this region as their ancestral lands. People of the Lisu community who are on the Indian side identify themselves as Yobin tribe, and have also been accorded ST status by the Government of Arunachal Pradesh only in 2018, which is yet to be ratified by the Union Parliament. Records show that Yobins too have come and settled in Vijaynagar, after the Gorkha ex-army families started to live there.

The Lisu people resent the ex-army settlers in Vijaynagar, who are mostly Gorkhas and have long been demanding that the Government resettle them elsewhere, so they can have their rightful claim over their ancestral land. This resentment against the ex-army families have led to frequent clashes and animosity between the Gorkhas and the Lisu people.

What is the contention?

This time, the reason was the announcement of the Panchayat elections in which a Gorkha lady was nominated for the post of Zilla Parishad Member by the ruling BJP party.

The Lisu/Yobin students body announced their protest against participation of non-tribal and non-indigenous people in the panchayat and municipal elections. Giving in to the pressure, the Government has deferred the polls in Vijaynagar, scheduled to be held on December 22 across the state.

The 500-odd strong mob, armed with daggers and sticks, burnt down government buildings including the Extra Assistant Commissioner’s (EAC) office, post-office, and also ransacked the local police station. Yesterday, on the 14th of December, the local media reported that 24 people have been arrested and four firearms seized in connection with the incidents.

On the 12^th of November, the Lisu/Yobin students body had issued threatening ultimatum which was widely circulated in the media ordering the authorities to “take away the settlers from Vijaynagar Circle within 10^th December at any cost. Otherwise, we will have to handle the settlers’ problem by our own standards that too without any delay, and within a week.” The language used is terrifying, and if the recent violence is any indication of the ‘their own standards’, it is outright criminal.

The real contention here is the issue of granting of Schedule Tribes status to the Gorkhas of Vijaynagar, which subsequent governments have promised umpteen times.

In 2019, when the Pema Khandu Government took steps to grant permanent resident certificate (PRC) to six non-Arunachal Pradesh Scheduled Tribe (APST) communities (Deoris, Sonowal-Kacharis, Morans, Adivasis, and Mishings, and Gorkhas of Vijaynagar), violence protests erupted across the state, led by All Arunachal Pradesh Students Union (AAPSU).

Succumbing to the pressure, the state government backed out and dropped all discussions on the PRC issue.

The Union Government Must Speak

As per the website of Vijaynagar All Settlers’ Welfare Association, the settlement of 200 families of Assam Rifles in virgin unoccupied, un-administered and remote border area (Vijaynagar) began under planned scheme of India, vide Letter No 210(11)/63 NI dated 22nd January 1964 (Annexure 2).

At the time, 200 families of Assam Rifles, almost all of them Gorkhas, belonging mostly to General Duty rank were sent to the hostile and inaccessible Vijaynagar ‘on line of duty’ in 4 batches and thereby grouped into 9 villages. The settlement was carried out till 1970-71 followed by demarcation of Indo-Myanmar International Border in this sector.

So, if the settlers were sent there officially by the Government of India for a purpose, is it then okay for a student body to threaten uprooting a whole community?

Is the Union Government aware that this is happening and planning to resettle the ex-army families elsewhere?

The case of the Gorkhas of Vijaynagar is different from other Non-APSTs as they did not come to this area by chance. The Ex-Assam Rifle families were forced by the then Government of India to settle in the area.

If not for these ex-army settlers, India could never have laid its claim on this unoccupied territory, it was certain that Myanmar would have made their claim on the area as a contiguous territory of Kachin state.

For India, vacating the army settlers from the region could also lead to a disaster as the Lisu people live on both sides of the demarcated boundary and share the close cultural relations with one another.

The BJP Government’s Hollow Assurance for Gorkhas

The BJP party, which is currently in power at the Centre proudly wears its nationalistic ideology as a crown and has never shied away from praising the Gorkhas and their sacrifices publicly. The Gorkha people, known for their contribution to our nation’s defence forces, has time and again used by political powers of the nation as an example of patriotism and sacrifice. At the national level, the present BJP Government’s ‘nation first’ idea has won the hearts and support of the Gorkhas living across India.

Ironically however, the Gorkhas in BJP-ruled states seem to be having trouble with the safety and security. Last year, it was the Gorkhas of Assam who suffered during the NRC exercise in the state. With a history of over 200 years and immense contributions in the process of its nation-building are still hoping that the Government will consider their request to be included under the ‘Original Inhabitant’ lists.

During the NRC exercise, many Gorkha families of freedom fighters and eminent people were left out and risk losing their voting rights, while others are still working on impressing the government to provide them the same rights and privileges at par with other citizens. Here too, the BJP ministers and leaders have not stopped giving their assurances to the Gorkhas, despite implementing the rules otherwise.

In Arunachal Pradesh today, the BJP Government has repeatedly given the assurances about providing permanent settlement to the Gorkhas of Vijaynagar and even announced of ‘New Year Gifts’. The case of Vijaynagar Gorkhas is different from other communities as they have been settled by the Government of India and sent on the ‘line of duty’ even for the retired soldiers. Such harassment of the retired soldiers and their families is unwarranted and the inaction of the State and Union Government towards providing security and safety to the settlers only reflects the lack of seriousness and insensitivity of the Governments.

In Darjeeling, Terai, and Dooars region, the apathy of the BJP party towards resolving the long pending demands of the Gorkhas, even after having mentioned in their Election Manifesto has forced the Gorkha Janmukti Morcha, one of NDA’s oldest member to quit the alliance with BJP.

If at all these are any indication of BJP’s commitment towards the Gorkhas, it is perhaps time that the community starts building its own strategy and seek new alliances.

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The Namsai police on Tuesday arrested one Birbal Tanti (29) and two others for the rape and murder from a tea garden in Chongkham circle. The fourth accused is still absconding. “Prima facie, it looks like the child has undergone sexual assault. However, we are yet to receive medical reports of the same,” the SP said, adding that “the accused admitted to the crime during interrogation” and a case has been registered against him at the Chongkham police station.

According to sources, this incident took place somewhere between 15 and 16 September, and the parents filed a complaint with the police only after her dead body was found near a stream by a fisherman.

Following this, the body had been sent to a local hospital for post-mortem, and the body was handed over to the family for burial. “We gathered all required evidence before handing over the body to the family,” the Superintend of Police had said.

However, it has been more than 5 days since the body was found and the SP informed that they were waiting for the Post-Mortem report of the murder. Given that the victim is a minor, the case would have been taken on priority anywhere.

Local Women’s Organizations from the Village and members of All Arunachal Pradesh Gorkha Youth Welfare Association – Namsai Unit are following up on the case with the police and have promised to fight the case until the perpetrators are punished for their actions. The community has assured all possible help for the victim’s help.

What is worrisome is that a few weeks earlier, there was another report of two-minors being raped at Namsai District. The Arunachal Pradesh State Commission for Women (APSCW) had vehemently condemned after a team visited and spoke to the SP there yesterday. As per reports, the girls were of 12 and 13 years and five alleged accused were booked under sections of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act, 2012.

What is most baffling about the whole issues is that despite repeated gruesome incidents of rape coming to light at Namsai, the administration seems to be asleep.

Three minors being raped in a month, in a small population concentrated place like Namsai district is not something that the local administration and police officials can overlook. Our correspondent tried to call the office of State Commission for Women to ascertain whether the commission is aware of the incident but could not reach them on the phone.

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It was only recently in 2019 that Sunita found some old documents of her father which suggests that Goray Thapa was originally from Sitalu Basti in Kurseong. “My parents met around 1986-87 in Shergaon, West Kameng District, Arunachal Pradesh. Papa worked as a Driver with the Dept of Horticulture. Both my elder brother and I were born and brought up in Arunachal Pradesh” says Sunita in her message.

Born and brought up in Arunachal Pradesh, the wife and children didn’t know much about Thapa’s connection in Kurseong. Even his wife only knew that he has a brother and sister, somewhere in Darjeeling Hills. His wife tells that Goray Thapa’s brother was a popular local footballer of his time and used to limp a little when walking due to a football related injury.

Though there is very little information about the whereabouts of AK Thapa, the family is trying hard to connect with the help of social media. They have been asking for details and sharing information through different individuals and groups.

We hope that Sunita is able to reach out to her family and request our readers to message us (Inbox)  with any information relating to Goray Thapa or his other families.

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Succumbing to pressure from the protestors, the state government under BJP’s Pema Khandu has decided to drop all discussions on extending permanent resident certificates (PRCs) in the near future. The demand for issuing PRC and opposition to it by the powerful All Arunachal Pradesh Students’ Union (AAPSU) is not new. The politics over the PRC issue is also not new as well.

In 2013, Chief Minister Nabam Tuki during his last visit to the Vijaynagar valley prior to state assembly elections promised consideration of the long-pending issue and even issued Residency Certificates (RCs) to about 20 senior citizens. Pema Khandu, the current Chief Minister on his recent visit also announced that the people living there would soon receive a permanent solution as a New Year gift to the people.

It is indeed embarrassing for the BJP government to make such a sharp U-turn fearing political backlash by the opposition who have been demanding the resignation of the Chief Minister and Union Home Minister Kiren Rijiju, who is also from the state.

Although the government set up a joint high power committee (JHPC) formed to look into the intricacies and assess local anxieties, AAPSU alleges that the committee was overriding ground reports. With both the general elections and state assembly elections coming soon, the PRC issue is once again being used to gain political mileage and consolidate votes.

As is the norm, the ruling BJP government blamed the opposition Congress for inflaming passion. However, the fact remains that brutality of the protest and the scale of street rampage has confused everyone in the state, which has never witnessed such extreme protests. Only time will tell who gains the maximum political mileage out of the situation.

The Gorkha connection to Vijaynagar

The beautiful valley of Vijaynagar is home to Assam Rifles ex-servicemen (mostly Gorkha) and Yobin people, and who were settled in the region in the early 1960s, during the Indo-Chinese War. The valley is surrounded on three sides by Myanmar and the other side is flanked by the large expanse of the thick forest of Namdapha National Park. The closest Indian town is Miao, 157 km away and a 7 days trek while the closest Myanmarese town is Putao at 40 km. The road connectivity is almost negligible but the village has an airport which is used for emergency situations or sometime to drop food supplies to the region.

Since Independence, this territory has been administered by the Nehru-Elwin approach of ‘Least Intervention’ with NEFA serving as Guide Book for all policy matters. The foreword of NEFA begins with Nehru’s famous statement “Tribal rights in land and forest should be respected…. Some technical persons from outside, no doubt, is needed. But we should avoid introducing too many outsiders into tribal territory”.

In 1964, about 200 families of Assam Rifles mostly from the General Duty rank were settled in this hostile and inaccessible valley. The valley is grouped into 9 villages of Daragaon, Ramnagar, Phaperbari, Gairigaon, Chidudi (Shantinagar), Mazgaon, Top Hill, Buddha Mandir and Two Hut.

As per the All Settlers Welfare Association website, the settlement process continued till 1970-71, followed by the demarcation of Indo-Myanmar International Border in 1971-72 in this sector. Until 1972 settlers could not move out from Vijaynagar without escort and after the border demarcation, no further settlements were made in the area or elsewhere in Arunachal. It must be noted that if India had not made planned settlements and claimed stake on the region of the unoccupied territory, it was certain that Myanmar would have made their claim on the area as a contiguous territory of Kachin State.

“We did not come here by chance,” says Bhumi Upadhyaya, a local Gorkha whose family was one of the early settlers brought into the valley. “Before the wars, this valley was empty and barren. Our fathers and grandfathers were sent here by the government to stake a claim in this region for India. Many of them were forced to migrate to this god-forsaken land, some under voluntary retirement, so they could make this unclaimed land a part of India.” Bhumi who is now working in Mumbai talks of the hardship they face for every little official work to be done. “We are unable to apply for passports, jobs, or even get any support for education. I myself had to leave the village and stay far away right after completing after my Class Nine in the village. Like me, many youngsters leave the place because there is no security here, and only humiliation and inisecurity about everything – home, jobs, education, and sometimes even life.”

That settlement of Gorkhas along this international region guaranteed security against external threats for India. For many years, they worked hard under extreme conditions to begin a new life, hoping that the government will stand by its promise to provide them settlements, at par with the rest of Indians. Despite having been recognized as citizens and accorded voting rights, the Gorkhas of Vijaynagar are still forced to prove their identity, time and again. “We are citizens of Vijaynagar, India, but can you imagine a citizen with folded hands being forced to produce an identity card, voter IDs, or ration cards at every police check post. These days, they don’t even care for voter IDs and ration cards and they seemed to have made up their mind to label us outsiders. It is humiliating and astonishing,” says a senior Gorkha leader on anonymity, fearing vendetta.

Highlighting the historical background of Gorkha settlement at Vijaynagar, the AWSA website states “Some of the Jawans whose service tenure was not completed for a pension benefit, too were sent on the tiff of assurances. They were given to understand that their remaining period would be suffixed from their stay in the valley, thereby taken into full consideration for a pension. However, they largely remained deceived and forced to struggle in the valley without a pension. It is worth mentioning that no prudent man chooses to sacrifice his existing avocation, a prospect in service and pension for the sake of 11 acres of land (as provided to settlers) that too putting life at stake in the extremely inaccessible remote border. This speaks volume about how the settlers were allured and entrapped for the reason of national security of colonizing the area and justifying India’s claim over it.”

There is no doubt that the Gorkhas settled in Vijaynagar were sent, sometimes forcefully, to the region by the government to safeguard India’s interest in the wake of the Chinese invasion of 1962. However, today, with a flourishing economy and a better military system, the government has perhaps started to feel that the citizens of Vijaynagar are disposable. In the political maze that is being woven around this international border area, the Gorkha settlers stand to lose the most. With the settlement lease coming to an end in 2020, the onus is upon the government to show how much it honors the sacrifices of its army and stands true to its commitment.

Or perhaps, the obligation of the government for the sacrifice made for the nation is limited to building War memorials, statues, naming streets, and high-rise buildings. Swayed by the passionate calls of their political masters, perhaps the people themselves have chosen to live in manufactured lies and ignore genuine sacrifices made by their forefathers to build a better society for them to live.

Gorkhas of Vijaynagar deserve our nation’s gratitude, support and solidarity. We hope the administration will do what is right, instead of succumbing to political pressures.

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