Dhemaji: The Pasighat unit of All Bogang Students Union in East Siang district of Arunachal Pradesh on Monday lodged an FIR at Pasighat police station against Mirem and Ruksin Solung Giidi Bumper Housie Committee for organising gambling events in the name of Solung festival.

The union is a student organisation which works towards eradication of social evils which have penetrated society through age-old traditions of indigenous communities in the state.

Union president Lungkang Ering said, "We are not against our traditional Solung festival but oppose the practice of gambling in the name of the festival. We have intimated the administration to stop gambling, in accordance with the Arunachal Pradesh Gambling (Prohibition) Act, 2012, in which any type of gambling is strictly prohibited in the state. But nowadays housie, a type of gambling, is played during festivals."

"The administration has miserably failed to curb gambling. So we did our part and lodged an FIR against the party organising illegal gambling," he said.

He said the involvement of some police and administrative officers is doubted as "illegal gambling is allowed despite complaints submitted beforehand". He appealed to the police and district administration to act firmly by arresting the organisers.

He warned and appealed to the authorities concerned that gambling in any form should not be permitted at Pasighat, Takeng Yagrung and other places.

Solung is the most popular agricultural festival of the Adis, which is celebrated with great pomp and show across Adi villages and towns in Arunachal Pradesh.

The festival is usually celebrated in the first week of September (some regions/villages also celebrate it in August), after the sowing of seeds, to seek blessings for prosperity and a good harvest.