Assam State Committee formed at CNCI Guwahati Meet

via E-PAO on May 28, 2015

Guwahati: In a two days meeting convened at Thirthanath Hall in Guwahati on the 24th and 25th May, 2015 the Chakma National Council of India (CNCI) has formed and constituted its Assam state Committee. The meeting was well attended by members of the community living in Guwahati, members of the Guwahati Chakma Students Union (GCSU), members from other parts of the state of Assam, Mizoram, Tripura and Arunachal Pradesh. The National Committee was represented by Anirudha Chakma (President), Jagat Shanta Chakma (Vice president) and two other executive members Rupayan Chakma and Kina Mohan Chakma. The Mizoram State committee was represented by its President Dangu Rasik Mohan Chakma. Representatives from the YCA and MCSU were also in attendance.

The primary agenda of the meeting was to form and constitute the Assam State Committee of the CNCI and to discuss and raise various issues of concern for the community.

In the meeting CNCI National President Dangu Anirudha Chakma briefly spoke and outlined the organizations main aims and objectives and Dangu Rasik Mohan Chakma, during the course of his speech, has elaborated them in more details while also bringing into light the problems and challenges faced by the community around the world and the need to chart a road map for the future of the community. Dangu Rasik Mohan also stressed on the ‘need to infuse and induce a sense of nationalism’ among Chakmas all across the world.

Expressing deep concerns over the anti-Chakma attitude and policies of the government of Mizoram, the Meeting sought to remind the state government of its responsibilities towards the minorities of the state.

Taking exception to the attitude of the government of Mizoram towards Chakmas of the state, the meeting strongly condemned the action of the state government to exclude the Chakma students from their rightful entitlements through the recently Amendment brought out in the Mizoram State Technical Entrance Examinations Rules dated 24th March, 2015 which, the meeting observed and declared, was not only unfair and unjust but such an act is also unbecoming of a democratically elected government. The CNCI pledged to continue to demand and strive for equal opportunities for the community and would do all that it can to protect and promote the interests of the community and the meeting urged the government of Mizoram to do away with all such discriminatory policies and rather create an environment that will be conducive for all the ethnic minority groups of the state.

While dwelling on the challenges and problems of the Chakmas in details, the meeting observed that the root cause of Chakmas present plight in India and in the Chittagong Hill Tracts (CHT) was the injustice meted out to the community during the Partition of the country in 1947. The meeting sought to remind the members of the community and the outside world about the unjust Sir Cyrill Redcliff award of Bengal Boundary Commission which awarded the CHT to Pakistan with more than 97 percent non-Muslim against the very principle on which the Boundary Commission was formed, and consequently making the Chakmas the worst victim of partition.

The meeting also adopted a decision in which it decided to seek the attention and intervention of the Government of India towards the continued incidents of gross human rights violations and persecution faced by the Jummas (tribal communities) in the Chittagong Hill Tracts (CHT) of Bangladesh and seek to demand that the Government of India, as a responsible and key stakeholder of democratic ideals in the sub continent, must raise the CHT issue in all its bilateral engagements with the Government of Bangladesh.

On the concluding day, the Assam State Committee was formed and constituted. The 25 member strong constituted Committee is headed by Dangu Sambhu Dhan Chakma (Principle of Diphu Commerce College) as its President.

The Meeting expressed its appreciation of the commitment and dedication shown by the Chakma community of Assam in their efforts to protect and promote the interests of the community in the state. The meeting expressed its pride in the numerous contributions made by members of the Chakma community in the state of Assam since pre-Independence era in various capacities under both the State and the Central government services.

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MZP begins construction of concrete "Zofate Chawlbuk" at Borapansury

Present MZP 'Zofate Chawlbuk' at Borapansury

Past MZP Zofate Chawlbuk

Borapansury: The Construction of MZP ‘Zofate Chawlbuk’ at Borapansury, within CADC area has begun by the MZP cadres.

The construction of the concrete building will be up to first floor for as of now. 

The area of the building as measured is 45 feet in length and 30 feet in breadth. 

The construction of the building has been in full swing to complete the work as soon as possible, MZP said.

The construction of the Zofate Chawlbuk has started last February 6, 2015. The construction of the building up to first floor will be completed within this year. 

“The purpose of constructing the Zofate Chawlbuk is to safeguard the Mizo nation within Chakma inhibiting areas and in Mizoram as a whole,” MZP said.

As per MZP report, “the boycott of MDC by-election  last year held by the Chakmas against the construction of Zofate Chawlbuk at Borapansury was motivated by the Chakmas from Kamalanagar, not from Borapansury,” MZP further added.



Related News: 
1. MZP begins construction of controversial "Zofate Chawlbuk" at Borapansury
2. MZP, a militant Mizo student organization illegally Chakma's land, says JAC Chairman
3. MZP forcefully grabbing the Chakma's land and threatening them to bloodshed in Mizoram

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Mizoram's H & TE direct Chakma students to fill in Category-II forms for technical exams

Correspondence on May 19, 2015

Mizoram: The Chakma students who passed their class XII (science) are presently in disturbance, as they are not being allowed to fill up forms for state entrance under State Technical Entrance Exam (STEE) in Category-I for various technical courses like Medicals & Engineering etc. who have been in the category since its inception. In fact, the authority has directed the students to fill up forms in STEE-II category.

In an alleged discriminatory decision taken by Mizoram Govt with reference to the demand of some radical Mizo group (MZP) to place the Chakmas in category-II (2nd Class), the Mizoram Govt has made certain changes in "The Mizoram (Selection of Candidates for Higher Technical) Rules 1999" to put the Chakma Students of Mizoram as 2nd Class (Category-II) and Mizos(Zo ethnic) as 1st Class (Category-I). Here is the excerpts of the Mizoram Govt latest NOTIFICATION with reference to STEE and selection of candidates for Higher and Technical Education.

EARLIER RULE: 

"Children of local permanent residents of the state of Mizoram as category-I". "the term local parmanents' means those who are indigenous people of the state of Mizoram and have been residing parmanently in the state'. This rule does not discriminate between communities. 

NEW RULE: 

"Children of local permanent residents of the state of Mizoram as category-I". ''the term local permanents' means those who are indigenous (Zo-ethnic people who are native inhabitants) people of the state of Mizoram and have been residing permanently in the state'. 

The new Rule clearly put the Zo ethnic (Mizos only) over the Chakmas.

EARLIER RULE: 

'Children of non-local parmanent residents of the state of Mizoram as category-II'. This rule is meant for various govt employees who are being posted in Mizoram. 

NEW RULE: 

Children of other parmanent residents of the state of Mizoram as category-II'. The NEW RULE further defines "The term other permanent residents' means those who are non-indigenous (Non-Zo-ethnic people who are non-native inhabitants) people of the state of Mizoram and those who are serving under the Government of Mizoram or Government corporation of autonomous bodies under the state of Mizoram, or other recognised organisations and in whose case, it can safely be inferred that they would reside permanently in Mizoram". 

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CNCI - Mizoram State Committee demands white paper on "Chakma Census"

via TNT on May 16, 2015

CNCI - Mizoram State Committee

KAMALANAGAR: The decision of the CYMA to go ahead with their resolve to conduct census on the Chakmas as learnt from a report of the Vanglaini issue dated 11.5.2015 has upset the Chakmas.

“To single out the Chakmas as a community for subject to census without genuine ground and that also by a non-state entity is but a humiliation and assault to their dignity as human being. Chakmas are equal citizen of Mizoram and they deserve equal treatment in all respects from the State Government,” the Chakma National Council of India said in a statement released.

It is quite normal for a duty bound citizen to get alarmed by any events/incidents of abnormal nature. However, it does not legitimize someone or for that matter any non-state entity to take the law into their hand. What the rule book warrants is to approach the concerned legitimate authority and urge them to address the issue.

“The Government of Mizoram should come up with a clear stand on the resolve made by CYMA to go ahead with their illegitimate exercise to conduct census on the Chakmas who are also equal citizen of Mizoram and whether Mizoram Government is not duty bound to enforce the rule of Law?” they said.

Time and again the Chakma issue has reared up its ugly head and yet there has been a conspicuous lack of action and policy to resolve the issue for once and all on the parts of the Government. Ultimately, the sufferers are the minority Chakmas. As a result this has contributed to build up a trust deficit between the two communities and which is not healthy for the overall development of the State, observed CNCI.

“CNCI is clueless as to what has caused the urgency to suddenly jump on to such an exercise to conduct census on the Chakmas. What is the justification, the CYMA has decided to take up the census of the Chakmas? Whether, the CYMA have been alarmed by any evidence confirming about the abnormal growth of the Chakmas in Mizoram?” they said.

The perceived abnormal growth rate of the Chakmas may be put to rest by the given table showing the growth rate of the Chakmas sourced from Mizoram at a Glance 2001 published by Directorate of Economics & Statistics, Mizoram. There is nothing abnormal about their growth rate if juxtaposed with that of the rest population of Mizoram.

Comparison of the Chakmas population of Mizoram vis a vis rest of the population of Mizoram after India’s Independence

YEAR	TOTAL POPULATION OF MIZORAM	CHAKMA POPULATION	REST POPULATION(2-3=4)	DECADAL GROWTH (CHAKMA)	DECADAL GROWTH (REST POPULATION)
(1)	(2)	(3)	(4)	(5)	(6)
1951	1,96,202	15,297	1,80,905	-	-
1951-1961	2,66,063	19,337	2,46,726	26.41	36.38
1961-1971	3,32,390	22,393	3,09,997	15.80	25.64
1971-1981	4,93,757	39,905	4,53,852	78.20	46.41
1981-1991	6,89,756	54,194	6,35,562	35.80	40.04
1991-2001	8,88,573	71,283	8,17,290	31.53	28.59
Average				37.55	35.41
Source: Mizoram at a Glance 2001, Directorate of Economics & Statistics, Mizoram; http://dipr.mizoram.gov.in/uploads/documents/document3.pdf;http://censusindia.gov.in/Tables_Published/SCST/dh_st_mizoram.pdf

This also bears significance to the memorandum submitted recently to Amit Shah, President, BJP by the MZPs wherein facts have been misrepresented deliberately regarding the growth of Chakma population in Mizoram with inflated figures about the Chakma population as has been learnt from a press report of the thenortheasttoday dated 17/4/2015. For instance it was claimed that Chakma population have jumped to 80,000 in 1991 against the fact that Chakmas were only 54,194 as shown in the above table. It was also conjured that the population of the Chakmas could be around 1,50,000. Whereas, the population of the Chakmas is only 71,283 by 2001 Census figure (http://censusindia.gov.in/Tables_Published/SCST/dh_st_mizoram.pdf) and as per a report of the Vanglaini issue dated 2/3/2015 the population of the Chakmas as of 2011 is only 96,972 (http://www.vanglaini.org/tualchhung/32034).

Despite such strong evidence against the perceived notion of Chakmas growing abnormally, if the CYMA set on to continue with its resolve to conduct census on the Chakmas it will be but very unfortunate on the parts of such a highly regarded NGO of the country which has been known for their service towards the society.

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PM Narendra Modi lead nation in prayers on Buddha Purnima

via Zee News on May 4, 2015

New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday led the nation in prayers and solidarity with the people of India and Nepal on the occasion of Buddha Purnima.

Speaking on the occasion of International Buddha Purnima Diwas 2015, the PM said the messages of Buddha are relevant even today.

Sharing the "pain" of quake-devastated Nepal, Modi hoped that the "beloved brother" bounces back quickly from its current crisis even as he observed that the task of recovery was long and arduous.

"We should share the pain and wipe the tears of people of Nepal," Modi said while referring to the devastation caused in the birthplace of Lord Buddha on the occasion of his birth anniversary.

He was addressing a gathering here on 'Buddha Purnima' where one-minute silence was observed in memory of those killed in the massive earthquake in Nepal and India.

"The birthplace of Lord Buddha, our beloved brother Nepal is going through a massive crisis. People of Nepal have to bear this difficult situation. It is difficult to imagine how long and arduous this journey will be. We share the pain of the people of Nepal. Let us pray to Lord Buddha that they get new strength," he said.

Invoking Lord Buddha, he said his teaching of compassion inspires one to rebuild lives.

India has deployed massive resources, including military forces, for rescue and relief operations in Nepal.

Address the gathering attended by ambassadors, MPs, scholars and Buddhist monks from across the globe, Modi also said the world is going through "turmoil" and added the teachings of Lord Buddha can show the way out.

"Violence is at its peak. Major part of the world is soaked in blood....People are baying for each other's blood. In this situation of bloodshed, where will the message of compassion come from? The only resort is Lord Buddha and his teachings," the Prime Minister said.

He cited how Buddha, who was born as a prince, renounced the wordly things like power and wealth to seek salvation through spiritualism 2500 years back.

"Some people think power and prosperity are good enough to solve all problems.... But Lord Buddha renounced all these to seek greater powers through love and compassion for welfare of humanity. This thought is not small. He must have been having big conviction and courage to renounce all these," Modi said. 

Modi said Lord Buddha had always championed the cause of dalits, oppressed and deprived classes of the society besides empowerment of women.

He did not believe in "ekla chalo" (march alone) but always laid emphasis on bringing people together, which has inspired dalit icon Baba Ambedkar.

"Lord Buddha wanted evolution in the society... The issues being discussed presently were taken up by Lord Buddha 2500 years ago. His teachings are relevant in this age also," the Prime Minister said.

Referring to the talk that 21st century belongs to Asia, he said this cannot happen without Buddha and application of his teachings.

"Buddha's words had immense power and that is why the world accepted him," he underlined.

Taking a dig at his critics, Modi said he, as Chief Minister of Gujarat, had placed a statue each of Lord Buddha at the entrance of the state Secretariat and his official residence but "apparently their (critics') attention has not gone to that aspect. Otherwise, they would have flogged me."

He said he proposes to build an impressive Buddha temple in his ancestral place Vadnagar in Gujarat where materials related to the founder of Buddhism had been found.

Earlier this morning, the PM took to microblogging website Twitter to extend his greetings on the occasion of Buddha Purnima.

बुद्ध पूर्णिमा के अवसर पर देशवासियों को हार्दिक शुभकामनायें।भगवान बुद्ध के सत्य, अहिंसा और शांति के संदेश हमे सदैव प्रेरित करते रहेंगे। he twitted.

Only twice since Independence has Buddha Purnima been officially commemmorated, in 1956 and 2007.

Buddha Purnima or 'Vesak' is recognised as the thrice sacred day that marks the birth, enlightenment and Mahaparinirvana of Lord Buddha. While Buddha was born in Lumbini in Nepal, he attained enlightenment in Bodhgaya in Bihar, preached first in Sarnath and attained Nirvana in Kushinagar in Uttar Pradesh, it said.

Thousands of people died in Nepal last week in the devastating earthquake on April 25. The quake affected various states of India too, killing many.

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Are the Mizo students afraid of Chakma students in a fair competition? asks, activist Paritosh Chakma

          The Chakmas of Mizoram have often alleged a tacit understanding between the state government and some jingoistic civil society groups in their larger goal to suppress the minorities with an aim to keep them deprived as long as possible. But the recent act of the Government of Mizoram, at the behest of the state’s all-powerful student outfit the Mizo Zirlai Pawl (MZP or Mizo Students Association), to remove the Chakmas from Category I for the purpose of selection in higher technical courses, has openly brought into public display how community NGOs like MZP are dictating the terms and the government has abdicated its constitutional responsibility to protect the minorities’ interests. The fact that the notified amendments to the State Technical Entrance Examination (STEE) Rules were drafted by the MZP and the government accepting them in toto, speaks volumes about the government’s intention to create unequal citizens, which in turn lead to acrimony and conflicts.

The Mizoram (Selection of Candidates for Higher Technical Courses) (Sixth Amendment) Rules, 2015 notified on 24^th March, 2015  provides for three categories: Category I for Zo-ethnicity people who are “indigenous people”, Category II for Non-Zo ethnicity who are “non-indigenous people”, and Category III for Central government and other state government employees who are not permanent residents of Mizoram. Since Chakma is a non-Zo community, they are excluded from Category I, and instead included in Category II along with, probably, Brus and Gorkhas/Nepali and other permanent residents who are not “Zo”. Earlier, under the Principal Rule of 1999 all the “local permanent residents” of Mizoram were together put in Category I along with the Mizos. The removal of Chakma and other non-Zo Scheduled Tribes from Category I is not merely administrative but has political overtones with far-reaching impacts on the minority communities. The message from the Mizoram government is loud and clear: Chakma cannot be equal to Mizo; Chakma are unwanted in Mizoram.

Fight for limited opportunities:

The problem started after as many as 38 Chakma students qualified, including 25 in medical and 13 in Engineering, in the STEE 2014 by dint of their merit and hard work, and were rightfully placed in Category I under the existing rules (Rules of 1999). The selection of so many Chakma students in engineering and medical seats alarmed the MZP, and it launched protests demanding amendments of the STEE Rules to the disadvantage of the Chakmas. The question is: are the Mizo students afraid of Chakma students in a free and fair competition?

Surely, it is all about fight for limited resources. But the Mizo students body has chosen a short cut way to access these limited resources and opportunities: by depriving the Chakmas through wrongful means. Indeed, opportunities are limited in the state which does not have a single higher technical or medical college/institute. The Central Government made provision for allotment of seats for the State in different institutes of India for higher and technical education. But the number of seats so allotted is quite insufficient to meet the demands of the Mizoram students. This year, Mizoram has a quota of 176 seats in medical and 121 seats in engineering colleges. Hence, the MZP wants to keep the Chakma and other non-Zo students out of the competition by removing them from Category I, rather than giving them a tough fight in the examination halls. The method of selection as adopted now is unfair to non-Zo students, as it provides for “total reservation” of all seats in favour of Zo students.

Contempt of Court:

The concept of “total reservation” for Category I candidates first espoused in the Rules of 1999 were declared as unconstitutional by the Gauhati High Court in September 2000 in Bhanu Choudhury vs State Of Mizoram And Ors. In its judgement the High Court stated, “...we find that the new Rules of 1999 to the extent as contained in sub-rule (3) of Rules 5 providing that selection shall be made from Category I first. In case sufficient number of candidates are not available from Category I remaining seats shall be filled up from Category II and III and likewise, is held to be ultra vires and is struck down.”

This forced the state government to amend the Rules in 2002, providing 85% reservation for Category I (Children of local permanent residents), 10% for Category II (Children of non-local permanent residents) and 5% for Category III (Children of Central government and other state government employees who have lived in Mizoram for the last two years). So, Chakma students, being local permanent residents of Mizoram, were required to compete with Mizo students and other local permanent residents for 85% of the total seats. This was fair enough – let merit alone decide the allotment of seats for local permanent residents of Mizoram, not community or ethnicity.

But the Mizoram government tweaked the Rules once again, and the 2014 examination was conducted by providing total reservation to Category I in contempt of the Gauhati High Court order. This is evident from the “Information Brochure 2014”of “Technical Entrance Examination for selection of candidates for higher technical courses” which stated,

“Method of Selection

On the basis of marks obtained in the Selection Examination, selection shall be made in order of merit from amongst eligible candidates from Category-I first. In case sufficient number of eligible candidates are not available from Category-I, the remaining seats shall be filled in, in order of merit by the eligible candidates from Category-II and Category-III likewise.”

In such a scenario providing for Absolute Reservation for Zo-ethnicity people, no one other than students of Zo-ethnicity will ever be selected, even if they top the entrance examination, as per the new Rules of 2015. Hence, the rules are illegal.

Antithetical to idea of Mizoram:

The amended Rules, 2015 gives the political message that Mizoram belongs to the “Zo” ethnicity and all other communities who are non-Zo may live in the state but as “second class citizens”, or as “guests”, correspondingly, with lesser rights and privileges.  This violates the very idea of Mizoram which is peaceloving and God fearing. The Mizoram Peace Accord 1986 promised that “The rights and privileges of the minorities in Mizoram as envisaged in the constitution, shall continue to be preserved and protected and their social and economic advancement shall be ensured.” That promise has been broken prominently once again.

By creating “unequal citizens” you end up creating more conflicts. The Hmars and Brus have been waging armed movements against the State. Three other major minority communities having their own Autonomous District Councils (Chakmas, Lai and Mara) are up in arms against the state but through peaceful means, pressing for direct funding and even upgradation of their ADCs into the status of Union Territory to escape epic discrimination and neglect by the majority. Chakmas are worst targeted as minorities, but they remained committed to peaceful democratic means of struggle. This is the beauty of Mizoram that the non-Mizo minority community like Chakma have contributed. Mizos must acknowledge this. They should also realize that they (community and state) gain nothing by keeping the Chakmas deprived and backward; rather it harms the interests of the state. At the end of the day, a single community cannot take a state or country to its height of development or glory, if the condition of the other communities (minorities) living therein does not improve. A man may be healthy or well-built in all respects but if any of his body parts are deformed that man will still be considered as physically handicapped. By drawing a legal distinction between Zo and non-Zo among its citizens, what the Mizoram government has eventually done is to further divide the state along ethnic lines. The alienation of the minorities, who already face systematic discrimination, could only weaken Mizoram further.

All communities have wings of fire. The selection of 38 students from Chakma community in a single competitive examination says a lot about the rising aspirations of the Chakma youths. It will be a mistake to try to crush the aspirations of the youth, which is never possible. Further while the motive may be to keep the Chakmas oppressed, my reading is that it might have just helped the otherwise lethargic community to strengthen socially and politically. A few months earlier, the proposal by another leading NGO, Central Young Mizo Association to headcount the Chakmas had brought Chakma leaders of different political parties on a single platform to resist the illegal move. The STEE issue has shaken the Chakmas further, and an appropriate democratic response is bound to come in the coming days.

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Indigenous Jumma People Vow to Launch ‘Non-Cooperation Movement’ on Bangladesh Read

via Indian Country on May 1, 2015

Courtesy Ben Powless/Survival International

: In this Survival International file photo, Jummas and indigenous people from around the world call for the Chittagong Hill Tract peace treaty to be honored outside the UN in New York in May 2011. This week the Jummas were back at the UNPFII still fighting for the Peace accord to be honored – four years later.

As the 14th session of the UN Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues concludes, one group from Bangladesh has vowed to begin a “non-cooperation movement” against the government of Bangladesh. The Jumma or “Hill People” of the Chittagong Hill Tracts are demanding the country fully implement a 1997 treaty known as the CHT Peace Accord. The pact was intended to settle violence and restore lost lands in the jungles where the Jumma have claimed as their ancestral territory. But indigenous leaders complain the government has been slow to fully implement the agreement. And they’ve threatened a possible violence by today, May 1 if Bangladesh fails to take action on enforcing the accord.

On Monday, the Bangladeshi government addressed the UN about the disputed CHT Peace Accord. A top-level government official, Naba Bikram Kishore Tripura echoed sentiments that no Indigenous Peoples exist in the country.

“We believe that the notion of Indigenous Peoples should be used judicially and in a historically tenable manner,” Tripura said before the panel. “It would be self-defeating [for Bangladesh] to imply the notion in political and socially cultural contexts where historically it is far different from the situation where it is germane,” he continued.

Tripura is the Ministry Secretary of the Chittagong Hill Tracts Affairs, the governing body overseeing implementation of the CHT Accord. He’s also considered a “tribal,” or the term the government uses when describing people claiming indigenous identity, such as the Jumma.

Indigenous leaders attending the talks criticized Tripura’s formal statement before the UNPFII as manipulative on the part of Bangladesh, saying the ministry official attempted to gloss over the issues attached to the defunct CHT Accord.

Since Bangladesh gained independence in 1971, there’s been an on-going debate over land rights and recognition of Indigenous peoples in the country. The dispute led to a violent civil war in the CHT that lasted for more than two decades. The bloodshed ultimately ended with the signing of the CHT Peace Accord. But bitter territorial disputes and violent clashes have lingered on.

According to the 2011 national census, there are an estimated 1.5 million citizens who claim indigenous ancestry, or roughly 1.8 percent of the country’s total population. But Bangladesh argues that all its citizens are essentially indigenous based on historical ties to the region.The Jumma, however, say their ancestral connection to the Chittagong Hill Tracts is exceptional and reference an 18th century treaty signed with the British government as proof of their indigenous status.

Around one million people identify as Jumma, a group comprised of 11 tribal factions, mostly of Buddhist belief. The largest of the Jumma groups is the Chakma, an ancient kingdom that once negotiated a peace treaty under British rule in 1787. Today, the group is the leading political arm for Jumma rights and recognition in Bangladesh. Its leaders were among the chief signatories of the CHT Accord.

Raja Devasish Roy, a Permanent Forum member and Chief of the Chakma Circle in the Chittagong Hill Tracts addressed the human rights panel, urging governments like Bangladesh to recognize Indigenous Peoples in the country. “The generic understanding of ‘Indigenous Peoples’ is now entrenched, within the UN system. It would be of mutual benefit for the Asian and African states and their Indigenous Peoples, to work together with such an understanding,” Roy said.

Latest figures suggest there are an estimated 370 million Indigenous Peoples worldwide, a population that includes groups like the Jumma who are not recognized by their respective countries. Meanwhile, the UN has not formally adopted an official ‘definition’ of indigenous identity, complicating the struggle for the Jumma.

At the core of the Jumma’s fight for recognition are lingering land disputes. The indigenous group claims they are victims of both historic and recent land grabs by Bangladeshi military forces, the government, and Bengali settlers. As a result, violent clashes have taken place in the region for decades. A delegation came under attack during a visit to the region last July.

Upon the signing of the CHT Accord, a CHT Land Commission was formed. But so far, there is no record of any land dispute ever being settled since the commission was created in 1999. Indigenous leaders describe the forum as broken.

Yet, the Jumma have found recent allies. On Monday, a coalition of Nordic countries urged Bangladesh to restore the Jumma their lost lands by fully implementing the CHT Accord.

“Unfortunately, the situation still gives rise to concern,” said Julie Garfeldt Kofoed, Second Secretary of the Permanent Mission of Denmark. “We encourage the Government of Bangladesh to ensure full implementation of the Peace Accord. It is long overdue, as almost two decades have passed since the signing of the Accord.”

Back in Bangladesh, the Jumma have also threatened the government with violence if the accord is not fully implemented. Retired guerilla fighter, Jyotirindra Bodhipriya Larma, popularly known as ‘Santu’, issued a May 1 deadline for Bangladesh to announce a road map on implementing the remaining provisions of the accord. He claims only 13 have been fully enforced out of 25. Whether violence will erupt in the Chittagong Hill Tracts remains to be seen. Larma was once a leader of the rebel group who fought Bangladeshi forces for nearly two decades leading up to the CHT.

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Human Rights Activist, Blogger Paritosh Chakma, writes Mizoram: Creating Unequal Citizens and Conflicts

The Chakmas of Mizoram have often alleged a tacit understanding between the state government and some jingoistic civil society groups in their larger goal to suppress the minorities with an aim to keep them deprived as long as possible. But the recent act of the Government of Mizoram, at the behest of the state’s all-powerful student outfit the Mizo Zirlai Pawl (MZP or Mizo Students Association), to remove the Chakmas from Category I for the purpose of selection in higher technical courses, has openly brought into public display how community NGOs like MZP are dictating the terms and the government has abdicated its constitutional responsibility to protect the minorities’ interests. The fact that the notified amendments to the State Technical Entrance Examination (STEE) Rules were drafted by the MZP and the government accepting them in toto, speaks volumes about the government’s intention to create unequal citizens, which in turn lead to acrimony and conflicts.

The Mizoram (Selection of Candidates for Higher Technical Courses) (Sixth Amendment) Rules, 2015 notified on 24^th March, 2015  provides for three categories: Category I for Zo-ethnicity people who are “indigenous people”, Category II for Non-Zo ethnicity who are “non-indigenous people”, and Category III for Central government and other state government employees who are not permanent residents of Mizoram. Since Chakma is a non-Zo community, they are excluded from Category I, and instead included in Category II along with, probably, Brus and Gorkhas/Nepali and other permanent residents who are not “Zo”. Earlier, under the Principal Rule of 1999 all the “local permanent residents” of Mizoram were together put in Category I along with the Mizos. The removal of Chakma and other non-Zo Scheduled Tribes from Category I is not merely administrative but has political overtones with far-reaching impacts on the minority communities. The message from the Mizoram government is loud and clear: Chakma cannot be equal to Mizo; Chakma are unwanted in Mizoram.

Fight for limited opportunities:

The problem started after as many as 38 Chakma students qualified, including 25 in medical and 13 in Engineering, in the STEE 2014 by dint of their merit and hard work, and were rightfully placed in Category I under the existing rules (Rules of 1999). The selection of so many Chakma students in engineering and medical seats alarmed the MZP, and it launched protests demanding amendments of the STEE Rules to the disadvantage of the Chakmas. The question is: are the Mizo students afraid of Chakma students in a free and fair competition?

Surely, it is all about fight for limited resources. But the Mizo students body has chosen a short cut way to access these limited resources and opportunities: by depriving the Chakmas through wrongful means. Indeed, opportunities are limited in the state which does not have a single higher technical or medical college/institute. The Central Government made provision for allotment of seats for the State in different institutes of India for higher and technical education. But the number of seats so allotted is quite insufficient to meet the demands of the Mizoram students. This year, Mizoram has a quota of 176 seats in medical and 121 seats in engineering colleges. Hence, the MZP wants to keep the Chakma and other non-Zo students out of the competition by removing them from Category I, rather than giving them a tough fight in the examination halls. The method of selection as adopted now is unfair to non-Zo students, as it provides for “total reservation” of all seats in favour of Zo students.

Contempt of Court:

The concept of “total reservation” for Category I candidates first espoused in the Rules of 1999 were declared as unconstitutional by the Gauhati High Court in September 2000 in Bhanu Choudhury vs State Of Mizoram And Ors. In its judgement the High Court stated, “...we find that the new Rules of 1999 to the extent as contained in sub-rule (3) of Rules 5 providing that selection shall be made from Category I first. In case sufficient number of candidates are not available from Category I remaining seats shall be filled up from Category II and III and likewise, is held to be ultra vires and is struck down.”

This forced the state government to amend the Rules in 2002, providing 85% reservation for Category I (Children of local permanent residents), 10% for Category II (Children of non-local permanent residents) and 5% for Category III (Children of Central government and other state government employees who have lived in Mizoram for the last two years). So, Chakma students, being local permanent residents of Mizoram, were required to compete with Mizo students and other local permanent residents for 85% of the total seats. This was fair enough – let merit alone decide the allotment of seats for local permanent residents of Mizoram, not community or ethnicity.

But the Mizoram government tweaked the Rules once again, and the 2014 examination was conducted by providing total reservation to Category I in contempt of the Gauhati High Court order. This is evident from the “Information Brochure 2014”of “Technical Entrance Examination for selection of candidates for higher technical courses” which stated,

“Method of Selection

On the basis of marks obtained in the Selection Examination, selection shall be made in order of merit from amongst eligible candidates from Category-I first. In case sufficient number of eligible candidates are not available from Category-I, the remaining seats shall be filled in, in order of merit by the eligible candidates from Category-II and Category-III likewise.”

In such a scenario providing for Absolute Reservation for Zo-ethnicity people, no one other than students of Zo-ethnicity will ever be selected, even if they top the entrance examination, as per the new Rules of 2015. Hence, the rules are illegal.

Antithetical to idea of Mizoram:

The amended Rules, 2015 gives the political message that Mizoram belongs to the “Zo” ethnicity and all other communities who are non-Zo may live in the state but as “second class citizens”, or as “guests”, correspondingly, with lesser rights and privileges.  This violates the very idea of Mizoram which is peaceloving and God fearing. The Mizoram Peace Accord 1986 promised that “The rights and privileges of the minorities in Mizoram as envisaged in the constitution, shall continue to be preserved and protected and their social and economic advancement shall be ensured.” That promise has been broken prominently once again.

By creating “unequal citizens” you end up creating more conflicts. The Hmars and Brus have been waging armed movements against the State. Three other major minority communities having their own Autonomous District Councils (Chakmas, Lai and Mara) are up in arms against the state but through peaceful means, pressing for direct funding and even upgradation of their ADCs into the status of Union Territory to escape epic discrimination and neglect by the majority. Chakmas are worst targeted as minorities, but they remained committed to peaceful democratic means of struggle. This is the beauty of Mizoram that the non-Mizo minority community like Chakma have contributed. Mizos must acknowledge this. They should also realize that they (community and state) gain nothing by keeping the Chakmas deprived and backward; rather it harms the interests of the state. At the end of the day, a single community cannot take a state or country to its height of development or glory, if the condition of the other communities (minorities) living therein does not improve. A man may be healthy or well-built in all respects but if any of his body parts are deformed that man will still be considered as physically handicapped. By drawing a legal distinction between Zo and non-Zo among its citizens, what the Mizoram government has eventually done is to further divide the state along ethnic lines. The alienation of the minorities, who already face systematic discrimination, could only weaken Mizoram further.

All communities have wings of fire. The selection of 38 students from Chakma community in a single competitive examination says a lot about the rising aspirations of the Chakma youths. It will be a mistake to try to crush the aspirations of the youth, which is never possible. Further while the motive may be to keep the Chakmas oppressed, my reading is that it might have just helped the otherwise lethargic community to strengthen socially and politically. A few months earlier, the proposal by another leading NGO, Central Young Mizo Association to headcount the Chakmas had brought Chakma leaders of different political parties on a single platform to resist the illegal move. The STEE issue has shaken the Chakmas further, and an appropriate democratic response is bound to come in the coming days.

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Delhi Chakma protest against police firing in a Buddhist Temple

via CHT24.COM on April 24, 2015

Delhi: The Chakma people residing in Delhi staged a sit-in-protest against firearm use at Buddhist Temple.

 The Chakma people accused that Tripura state ‪#‎CPIM‬ Government and Tripura State police/ Tripura State Rifles personnel used firearms in the premises of Pechartol Buddhist Temple Udayan Buddha Vihar on 13th April 2015,

When Buddhist devotes including women and children visited the Udayan Buddha Vihar ( temple) in pecharthal, Unakoti, Tripura, all of a sudden, about 10 armed personnel including Tripura State Rifles (TSR) destroyed the fence of the temple and entered aggressively into the premises of the temple area and started firing randomly, which scared everyone. They also targeted the Buddhist devotees , injuring some of the including women and children.

The sit-in-protest was addressed and led by Dangu Sameer Chakma (Tripura) , A memorandum has been submitted to Tripura Bhawan, New Delhi with the following demands.
1). Immediate action against the members of the armed personnel involved in indiscriminate firing in a Buddhist temple.
2). Direct the authorities to inquiry into the indiscriminate firing, and
3). Punish all persons involved/ in this incident.

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MZP take up Chakma ‘influx’ issue with Amit Shah

via TNT on April 17, 2015

AIZAWl: Capitalising on the visit of BJP chief Amit Shah, the Mizo Zirlai Pawl, Mizoram’s apex students’ body, has drawn his attention to the “abnormal increase” of Chakma population in southern Mizoram due to immigrants from the neighbouring Bangladesh.

In a memorandum to Shah, the MZP pointed out that the population of Chakmas, who are “not indigenous people” of Mizoram, has increased from a mere 198 in the first ever census in 1901 to 80,000 in 1991 Census.

“From 1901 till date, the Chakma population has increased by 44,004 percent, which is not possible normal human reproduction,” the MZP memorandum said.

Going by historical records, the MZP stated that Chakmas have never lived in Mizoram and have never been considered as indigenous people of the Mizoram. “During the British rule, the Lushai hills (Mizoram) administrators issued several orders time after time to control foreigners, and the Chakmas were one of the foreigners mentioned in those orders,” it said.

“When we were ruled by the Britishers, the Chakmas were allowed to stay for a year within Mizoram if they were willing to help out digging the roads around the state border. They were also permitted to stay up to three years if the administrators give them a special permit,” the memorandum said.

During the second census in 1911, there were 302 Chakmas in Mizoram. The population increased to 680 (225 percent growth) in 1921, then further to 836 (122.94 percent increase) in 1931. In the 1941 census, the Chakma population skyrocketed to 5,088 (608 percent increase), then further to 15,297 (300.64% growth) in 1951. In 1961 census, the figure rose to 19,327, and again to 22,392 in 1971, to 39,905 in 1981 and jumped to 80,000 in 1991, the MZP informed the BJP chief.

As it was no longer allowed to segregate the population by caste from 2001, the exact growth of Chakma population is now not known, but it is certain than they are roughly around 1,50,000.

The estimated number of Chakmas, that is 1,50,000, is extremely huge in comparison to the population of Mizoram which is a little more than 10 lakhs in the 2011 census, the MZP said.

As the abnormal growth of Chakmas in Mizoram strongly indicates illegal immigration from Bangladesh, the MZP urged the BJP president to take it seriously and intervene to solve the problem.

“Before the 2014 general election, BJP’s prime ministerial candidate Narendra Modi visited one of our neighbouring states, Assam. During this visit he focused on the topic related to illegal immigrants and he assured that he will work towards deportation of foreigners from the country, and even after he becomes the country’s Prime Minister.”

“The north eastern states have been dealing with illegal immigrants and have suffered immensely. Out of all the North Eastern states, Mizoram is known to have been impacted the most. We were really excited and hopeful when we found out about the Prime minister’s resolution to help out with this issue,” the memorandum said.

Amit Shah, who kicked off his 13-day Northeast yatra in Aizawl yesterday, left for Kohima today after a night stay here.

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