Arunachal CM announces judicial probe into violence over PRC issue

Itanagar, March 5 (IANS) Arunachal Pradesh Chief Minister Pema Khandu on Tuesday announced a judicial inquiry into the violence over the permanent residence certificate (PRC) issue that left three people dead and caused damage to public and private property.

"Justice will be served to the bereaved families and people responsible for causing violence in the state capital will be brought before the law," Khandu said at the state BJP Council meeting.

He said the probe will be carried out by a committee headed by a retired judge to ensure a thorough and impartial inquiry so that the real picture of the PRC protest could be unearthed and appropriate actions taken against people behind the violence.

He reiterated that the PRCs for non-Arunachal ST communities of Namsai and Changlang district have been forever scrapped and a gazette notification published to this effect.

Clarifying that the state government had never intended to move a resolution or bill in the Assembly for the PRC, Khandu said that the matter was to be brought in the Assembly only for discussion and to make the recommendations of Joint High Power Committee on the issue public.

He said the state government had planned to call wider public consultation involving all stakeholders but the issue was "misinterpreted", causing unrest among the students.

Sensing the unrest, he said a statement was issued in social media stating that PRC matter will not be taken up further.

"Despite such assurance, large scale rioting and vandalism of government and public properties took place, which meant that the anti-social elements had taken control over the protest with political motives," he said.