Itanagar, April 28: The Singpho and Chakma communities residing in Dayun circle of Changlang district are at loggerheads over an alleged “encroachment” attempt of Singpho-inhabited parts of M-Pen village by Chakma settlers recently.

It has snowballed into a law and order issue with the Singphos threatening to launch a democratic movement if the Arunachal Pradesh government failed to evict the Chakmas from the “encroached land”.

The president of Singpho Welfare Society, T.N.N. Innaw, today said the district administration had failed to provide safety and security to the Singphos, who were at the receiving end of violence by Chakmas. The skirmish between the two communities left several injured on April 9.

Innaw said his association would submit a memorandum to chief minister Dorjee Khandu soon, seeking his immediate intervention to resolve the matter. He also threatened to take action against the Chakmas if the state government failed to evict them from M-Pen village soon. “The Chakma settlers suddenly attacked us with machetes and arrows after we objected to their encroachment attempt. The additional deputy commissioner of Miao, T. Mara, along with security forces, evicted them on April 5 in accordance with a court directive. But they again built huts in the same area. The administration had failed to provide us safety and security. We will take up the matter with chief minister Dorjee Khandu within a day or two and seek his immediate intervention. If the state government fails to meet our demand we will not hesitate to take action,” Innaw said.

He said the Chakma leaders failed to produce documents in support of their claims of legal possession of the land which the Singphos did so immediately in court. Innaw said his association wanted the administration to ensure that the Chakmas were restricted to their designated camp at Dewan in Miao subdivision.

He alleged that the Chakmas had murdered the gaonbura of Songking, Nokkan Kimsing, zila parishad member of Dayun, Innowla Singpho, in the recent past. The additional deputy commissioner T. Mara, said he with the help of police evicted the Chakma families who encroached into the Singoho-owned land in M-Pen and built huts there twice on April 5 and 12.

The All Arunachal Pradesh Students Union on April 10 alleged that the Chakmas often resort to brutal means to intimidate Singphos in Changlang district to forcefully encroachon their lands and demanded stern action from the state government against the Chakmas.