Arunachal: APSTWS Confirms Ha Tatu’s Indigenous Status, Urges Public to Close Controversy

ITANAGAR: Against the backdrop of a claim about the indigenous status of a local entrepreneur, the Arunachal Pradesh Scheduled Tribe Welfare Society (APSTWS) recently organized a press conference at the Arunachal Press Club (APC).

APSTWS President Tai Taka cleared the air that, as far as the society is concerned, Ha Tatu was the son of Ha Tama, belongs to the Ha clan, and is an indigenous tribal member of the state.

Taka explained that the problem began with the All Arunachal Pradesh Students' Union or AAPSU, which was actively engaged in verifying the qualifications for ST certificates. "The system is pretty robust at the level of verification," he said, involving local organizations, NGOs, and other community groups among themselves to ensure only those who are genuinely qualified receive ST certificates. Taka commended the efforts by AAPSU, crediting the progress they had made thus far in this matter.

The APSTWS was formally registered in the year 2024 and started working officially for the Scheduled Tribe communities in the state.

Earlier, Lokam Talo was the president, and Taka was the secretary. Since Talo is engaged in personal and business activities, he left this organization, and Taka has taken charge. APSTWS continued ST-related works, including show-cause notices to the concerned persons in question. One such notification was to Ha Tatu, who, in turn, called for an internal probe.

Under the chairmanship of Kipa Niba with Byabang Punung as vice chairman, a committee was instituted to investigate Tatu's background and origin. The committee interviewed village elders, community leaders, and Tatu's relatives to confirm his lineage and tribal affiliation.

 According to the findings, the statements from both the village leaders and the relatives confirmed that, indeed, Ha Tatu is the son of Ha Tama.

APSTWS now intends to submit these findings before the Capital Deputy Commissioner and the Kurung Kumey district administration hoping that this would resolve the matter.

Taka appealed not to circulate false information or to give any meaning to this controversy in the public arena but underlined that if new evidence comes to the fore, APSTWS would go for a revisit on this issue again for further discussion.

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