The complaint was over the renaming of Kimin as Bilgarh in Assam by the Border Roads Organization during a June 17 event in which Defense Minister Rajnath Singh launched the 20-kilometer Kimin-Potin road and 11 other projects.
Four political parties have filed a police report alleging Chief Minister Pema Khandu and Union Sports Minister Kiren Rijiju of “willful violation” of many laws and the Constitution, as well as an attempt to change Arunachal Pradesh’s territory. The complaint, filed on Thursday at Kimin police station in the Papumpare district, was in response to a row over the Border Roads Organisation (BRO) renaming Kimin as Bilgarh in Assam during a June 17 event in which Defence Minister Rajnath Singh unveiled the 20-kilometer Kimin-Potin road and 11 other infrastructure projects.
The complainants claimed that Mr Khandu and Mr Rijiju committed fraudulent contempt of Article 3 of the Constitution by violating the Arunachal Pradesh Statehood Act of 1987, the Bengal Eastern Frontier Regulation of 1873 (Restricted Area Permit), and the Arunachal Pradesh (Land Settlement & Record) Act of 2000. They also accused the chief minister and the Union minister of attempting to distort or change the state’s territory illegally, which resulted in communal conflict and major unrest in Kimin.
“It is to draw your attention to the fact that, for the same road inauguration programme, the old signboards and foundation stones where Kimin-Arunachal Pradesh is written were intentionally covered with a white paste by BRO as alleged, despite objections from the locals,” they said, adding that the incident caused misgivings and suspicion among the state’s residents. The complainants also claimed that after the Kimin-Potin road inauguration itinerary and BRO’s intimation letter to the Papum Pare Deputy Commissioner portraying Kimin as Bilgarh in Assam, no corrective measures were taken.
“However, neither of them has made any statement or clarification to yet,” the complainants stated, saying that the line of events revealed they conspired with Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma to cede Kimin to Assam.
The BRO, which built the road, issued an apology to the people of the state a few days ago.
