New Delhi, August 25 (MExN): The All India Chakma Students’ Union (AICSU), the apex students body of the Chakmas of India, today strongly condemned Chief Minister of Mizoram Lal Thanhawla for allegedly denying police protection to Chakma students as a result of which four Chakma students could not appear in the counselling held for admission into MBBS/BDS under the National Eligibility Cum Entrance Test (NEET) in Aizawl. “We strongly condemn the decision of Chief Minister Lal Thanhawla and his government to refuse police protection to the four Chakma tribal students of Mizoram namely Darshan Chakma, Nibir Chakma, Mini Chakma and Nibir Tongchangya to attend the NEET counseling at the office of the Higher and Technical Education at Chaltlang in Aizawl,” a press release from the Union stated. The union informed that on Friday morning, the students had met the Superintendent of Police of Aizawl district seeking police escorts to take the Chakma candidates to the counseling venue. But the SP flatly refused to do so, it alleged. Earlier, on August 21 the union informed that it had written to the Director General of Police, the Chief Secretary and the Commissioner & Secretary of Higher and Technical Education with the request to provide advance information/notification about the date of the re-counselling and adequate police security to attend the counselling. “But the Mizoram Government refused to protect the minorities against the onslaught of the majority,” the AICSU claimed. “The Chakma students were left to the mercy of the Mizo Zirlai Pawl activists who were waiting at the gate of the counselling venue,” it added. On Friday afternoon, the Chakma students tried to meet the Commissioner and Secretary of the Higher and Technical Department at his office at the New Secretariat in Aizawl but they were informed that the officer was not in office. “The Chakma candidates wanted their counselling should be conducted at the Commissioner’s office at New Secretariat which was flatly refused by the officials,” the union informed. It is pertinent to mention that four Chakma students cleared the NEET this year. While Darshan Chakma secured 4th rank in NEET under Mizoram State quota, Nibir Chakma, Mini Chakma and Nibir Tongchangya secured ranks 9, 17 and 23 respectively. On July 20, the four Chakma students were allotted MBBS seats as per their rankings in the NEET examination but the MZP activists held violent protests and forced the Mizoram government to cancel the four seats. On August 21, Dr BD Chakma, Minister of State for Fisheries and Sericulture resigned in protest against the denial of MBBS seats to Chakma students. On August 23, Chief Minister Lal Thanhawla stated that his government did not discriminate against the Chakmas and further stated that he was not aware if any Mizo NGO discriminated against the Chakmas. “Today’s denial of basic police protection to the Chakma students against the aggression by the Mizo Zirlai Pawl shows the level of repression the Chakma minorities faced in Mizoram and clearly proves beyond any doubt that Lal Thanhawla government discriminates against the minority Chakma indigenous peoples of the state and denying their rights including right to higher education,” the AICSU maintained.
