Chakma and Hajong Communities

News:The Rights and Risks Analysis Group has sought Indian Prime Minister’s intervention in ensuring food for the Chakma and Hajong communities in Arunachal Pradesh.

Facts:

• Chakmas are predominantly Buddhists while Hajongs are Hindus.They were originally the residents of the Chittagong Hill Tracts of East Pakistan(Bangladesh).
• However, they had to flee to India when their land was submerged by the Kaptai dam project in the 1960s and due to religious persecution.
• They entered India through the then Lushai Hills district of Assam (now Mizoram).The Centre moved the majority of them to the North East Frontier Agency(NEFA) which is now Arunachal Pradesh.
• In 2015, the Supreme Court directed the Centre to grant citizenship to Chakma and Hajongs who had migrated from Bangladesh in 1964-69.