Tabom Bam: Under scanner?

Itanagar, Oct. 13: Arunachal Pradesh chief secretary Tabom Bam seems to be on his way out.

The president of the All Nyishi Students’ Union, Likha Taji, today told the media that he had received a letter last night from chief minister Dorjee Khandu confirming the government’s decision to remove Bam from his post for his failure to “accord” importance to the tribe’s demand for a change in nomenclature from Dafla to Nyishi.

The students’ union alleged that Bam had been misusing his post to undermine the interests of the Nyishi tribe in Arunachal Pradesh.

“The chief minister urged me to call off our agitation plan as the government has replaced Bam with finance commissioner Kewal Kumar Sharma, who will assume charge from tomorrow,” Taji said.

Sources said Bam had been transferred to the Andaman and Nicobar Islands as additional secretary. Bam could not be contacted.

Government spokesperson and water resources development minister Tako Dabi, however, denied Taji’s claim.

“The chief secretary wanted to go on leave for a few months citing personal reasons. The government has not removed him. Sharma will fill in for him,” Dabi said.

On October 3, the students’ union had set a 10-day deadline for the government to remove Bam, failing which it threatened to launch a statewide agitation.

The Nyishis of Arunachal Pradesh have for long been demanding a change in nomenclature as they believe the term Dafla is derogatory.

The demand gained momentum in the early eighties.

Several organisations like the ANSU and the Nyishi Elite Society have been demanding scrapping of the term Dafla from the Constitution. They maintain that the word was wrongly incorporated in the list of Scheduled Tribes under Article 342 of the Constitution.

In a series of representation to ministries and central departments, the two organisations said a name wrongfully imposed by the British should not continue.

Taji alleged that Bam had diluted the whole issue which had “hurt the sentiments of the Nyishi community”.

2 hurt in ambush

Two personnel of the Assam Rifles were wounded in an ambush by militants at Lamlai in Manipur’s Imphal East today.

Police said militants coming in a car fired at a convoy of the Assam Rifles at Lamlai area along the Imphal-Ukhrul road.