The Arunachal Pradesh government has constituted a committee to identify a suitable plot of land in Itanagar for holding democratic protests and dharnas, responding to a long-standing demand of the All Arunachal Pradesh Students’ Union (AAPSU) for a designated protest ground in the state capital.
According to a circular issued by the Deputy Commissioner of the Itanagar Capital Region, the committee has been formed to identify a suitable site where individuals, organisations and groups can hold peaceful protests and demonstrations.
The committee will be chaired by Additional Deputy Commissioner Rajib Chiduni. Its members include the Assistant Commissioner of Itanagar, a representative of the AAPSU, the Executive Engineer of the Nirjuli PWD Highway Division, the Executive Engineer of Itanagar CD-A PWD, the Divisional Forest Officer or Range Forest Officer (SF), Itanagar, and the District Land Records and Settlement Officer (DLRSO), Itanagar, who will serve as the member secretary.
Welcoming the government’s decision, the AAPSU thanked the state administration for taking the initiative and described it as a significant step towards strengthening democratic participation.
The students’ body said that the identification of a designated protest ground in Itanagar had been a long-pending requirement, as people in the state had lacked a fixed and officially recognised space to exercise their democratic right to peaceful protest and dharna.
The AAPSU also expressed its willingness to actively participate in the committee’s deliberations. It said it would work closely with the administration to ensure that a suitable and easily accessible site is identified at the earliest.