Photos

29 years after they arrived in India from then-East Pakistan (now Bangladesh) – some displaced by the Kaptai hydroelectric project, others hounded out by the growing incidents of communal violence – the Chakmas in Arunachal Pradesh have yet to settle down and find a level of basic security. The highest court in India has upheld their right to citizenship and its attendant benefits. However, thanks to an obdurate State Government and a lackadaisical Centre, the Chakma community remain stateless, disenfranchised and the target of attacks by xenophobic groups in the state.
Visiting this village during the last elections of India, they didn’t have the right to vote in what is now their country.