AAPSU's drive against illegal migrants banned

Itanagar, Aug 14 (UNI) The proposed phase-II of 'Operation Clean Drive', to be launched by All Arunachal Pradesh Students' Union (AAPSU), has received a severe jolt with Papum Pare district administration enforcing a ban on such activities.

The proposed phase was to be launched from August 17 next against illegal Bangladeshi settlers.

The AAPSU during its first phase of the operation recently drove away over 5,000 illegal migrants, which invited strong resentment in neighbouring Assam.

In a letter to the apex students' body, deputy commissioner Bidol Tayeng said that driving out persons without Inner Line Permits (ILP) or suspected Bangladeshis was routine duty and responsibility of the government.

If the existing mechanism was not proving to be effective, political parties or students' union for the matter, should bring it to the notice of the government for review and policy decision, he added.

The district administration cannot allow launching of any such operation in future in the district. It amounts to running parallel administration by students or any other group, which no DC can allow, the letter stated.

The DC advised the union to place its demand before the government for an effective policy decision on influx problem so that the government could find a permanent solution.

On the other hand the AAPSU had decided to convene a general meeting at Pasighat in East Siang district on August 20 next to launch Phase-II of the operation with theme 'A movement for survival'.

Among others, the meeting would be attended by the Central executive members of the AAPSU, its Assam counterpart All Asaam Students' Union(AASU) and various NGOs, union sources here informed today.

In continuation with its informal phase, a steering committee for the Operation Clean Drive - Phase-II undertook a tour to Mebo sub-division in the district to take stock of the number of illegal migrants settling there.

While describing the situation in the area as 'alarming', the AAPSU said the committee found the presence of around 100 families of suspected Bangladeshis claiming to be genuine Indians. They have allegedly obtained doubtful documents from one district of neighbouring Assam, even after mass exodus of over 500 families, who left the area voluntarily recently, the union added.

UNI