MLAs Demand Arunachal Pradesh Assembly Seat For Chakat Aboh’s Wife

Our Correspondent

Itanagar: Cutting across party lines, majority of the members in Arunachal Pradesh Legislative Assembly on Tuesday advocated electing Chakat Aboh, wife of Khonsa West MLA Tirongn Aboh, unopposed from the seat as an honour to the leader.

Aboh along with ten others were killed in an ambush by suspected NSCN militants near Bogapani in Tirap district on May 21. Responding to the proposals of the members during obituary reference in respect to Aboh in the House, Chief Minister Pema Khandu asserted that he would convene an all-party meet soon to work out the proposal to elect Chakat Aboh to the Assembly without any contest in the by-election to the seat to be announced by the Election Commission.

“Our efforts will be to ensure that she (Chakat) wins the bypoll unopposed as all the political parties have expressed their willingness to elect her to the Assembly as a tribute to Tirong Aboh, a youth leader with full of potential,” the Chief Minister said.

Aboh, was elected to the constituency in 2014 as a People’s Party of Arunachal (PPA) MLA and later joined the Congress and served as a Cabinet Minister in the Nabam Tuki government. He was also re-elected to the constituency in the recently concluded assembly polls in the state as a National People’s Party (NPP) candidate.

“As a mark of respect to the departed souls, the Cabinet approved for providing a Group C post in the government to the next of kin of the other deceased and provide Rs 20 lakh as ex-gratia. Moreover, an amount of Rs 50 lakh will be provided to the next of kin of the two police personnel killed in the incident,” Khandu said.

Giving a historical background of insurgency activities in the three districts of Tirap, Changlang and Longding which started in early 90s, the Chief Minister pointed out that the successive governments at the Centre have not taken any concrete actions to solve the problem.

He said, despite presence of Army, central paramilitary forces and State police in the three troubled districts where, Armed Forces Special Power (Act) has been enforced, the elected legislators are always under constant threats from unwanted elements.

“I assured the house that such incidents will never occur again in these districts and already I have instructed the Home Department to provide adequate security to the elected representatives along with bullet-proof vehicles,” Pema Khandu disclosed adding that maintaining law and order and bringing back normalcy to the three eastern districts would be the priority of the present government.

“My government will take drastic action to bring back peace in the three troubled districts,” the Chief Minister asserted.

Khandu added that his government would put in all efforts to strengthen the police force in the districts and planning to do timely reshuffle of police personnel posted in the districts for management of law and order.

Most of the members alleged security lapses and lack of coordination between the security agencies in the district as the main reason for the incident.

Also read: Arunachal news