Inner Line Permit - What the State Government need to do now ?
- Part 1 -

Dr Khomdon Singh Lisam *

Sit-In-Protest against statement of Union Home Minister Shindhe regarding implementation of ILP by MPP on October 04 2012 :: Pix - Bunti Phurailatpam

When I was doing post graduation in AIIMS, one of my batch mates, Col. Pradeep Jain told me "your mongoloid feature are very funny, flat nose, epicanthic eyes and you are minority in India". I told him, "Yes we may be minority in India but we are the majority in the world. The Chinese, Japanese, Koreans and other Mongolids constitute around 32% of the world population. The Mongoloids are very courageous and forward people-unlike Indians. Their empire spread 16% of the Earth's surface at one time and this was the largest contiguous land empire in human history. I am proud to be a mongoloid. He appreciated about my knowledge in history and he always addressed me "Sir" from that day.

The Government of India is aware that their political leaders had done great blunders in the past 65 years for which they are facing enormous problems in every state of North East, India today. Their greatest worry is that the North East, India is a sleeping giant. The North East, India is self sufficient in all respects -more than sufficient to be an independent sovereign country. Now people start realising why Assam remains a poor state in spite of producing petroleum, diesel, coal, tea for more than 100 years? Once the North East India wake up from slumber, that may be the end of India.

One strategy they have adopted to prevent this possible disaster is to prevent the North East, India from being united and to keep us divided all the time in the form of politics, ethnicity, religion, language and inciting one ethnic group to fight against another creating a conflict situation either in the name of boundary conflict or Peace Talk, or Supra State or alternative arrangement.

The second strategy is population invasion – a population war without arms. This will replace the indigenous population of North East India with Mongoloid features with the mainland Indians of Aryan blood in the name of secularism and democracy over a period of 50 -60 years and reduce the indigenous population to a microscopic minority and build an united India of the same Aryan blood. This may be their secret dream. They have succeeded in Tripura, Andaman & Nicobar.

The recent riot in Kokrajhar, Assam was the outcome of Government of India's blunder during 1947-1950. On 6 May, 1997, Indrajit Gupta, the then Union Home Minister stated in Parliament that there are ten million illegal immigrants form Bangladesh of which three million are in Assam. The illegal immigrants are now in majority in seven districts of Assam and 43 MLAs out of 126 are Bengali speaking.

However, Tarun Gogoi, the Congress Chief Minister of Assam said that there are only 39,000 Bagladeshi immigrants in Assam Similarly Mr. Th. Deven Singh, Minister of Law, Manipur had reportedly said that there are no Bangladesh Immigrants in Jiribam. According to the statement of the Joint Committee on Inner Line Permit, out of 28,000 electorates in Jiribam, 20000 are outsiders including Bangladeshi Foreigners.

This has happened during the time of Mr, Th. Deven Singh and before him Mr, Jiri Bijoy. This is also happening in many other constituencies of Manipur including the heart of Imphal city. Why these respectable MLAs are telling such blatant lies and deceiving the people because the illegal immigrants are their vote bank and they worked only to satisfy their selfish interest not for public interest. The people should make them responsible for correction of all these terrible mistakes.

The third strategy is to eliminate the youths who rise with anti-Indian slogans with the help of AFSPA -1958 and to suppress any kind of popular movement. The Government of India used the Army, Paramilitary forces, our politicians, Bureaucrats, Business houses in implementing these strategies. We also need to raise our voices against the Army and Assam Rifles Organisation who are guarding these illegal foreigners at the behest of Government of India. But unfortunately our senior politicians in the ruling party are also. active partners in this game plan.

The fourth strategy is to impose Congress Rule all the time at all costs by using all possible tactics –either through manipulation of EVM Machines or through rampant corruption at the time of election. Why the Government of India is not using EVM machine at the time of Presidential Election or Panchayat Election? Why the USA and Japan who are manufacturers of microcontrollers of EVM machines in India are not using EVM machines in their own country points to the fact that EM machines like any other computer machines can be manipulated. This manipulation may be done at the highest level in collusion with computer experts and manufacturing companies for a huge price. That is why some politicians can easily forecast the result of election in advance in spite of massive opposition on the eve of election. But who cares ?

From the foregoing, it is clear that the solutions to our problems will not come from the Government of India. We have to assert it and we have to awaken the ignorant masses to fight for our cause. Our problems become so crucial and critical that we should not leave it only to the politicians alone. We have to awaken our innocent politicians from slumber. They are not aware of their own responsibilities and duties. They do not know that they can do wonders not only for bringing peace, prosperity and development in Manipur but also to save the future generations. Our historians, lawyers, intellectual group have a pro-active role and duty to play in this direction. United we stand and divided we fall,

Manipur's Permit System

Our forefathers had sacrificed their lives in protecting our people and our land. We need to remember the roles played by the great kings of Manipur -Pamheiba (Garib Niwaj), Gambhir Singh and Major Paona Brajabashi in protecting our motherland and enhancing the prestige and reputation of Manipur. The British preserved the monarchy system in Manipur till 1947. Till date U.K, the real democracy in the world is under constitutional monarchy.

The British handed over the sovereignty of Manipur to Maharajah Bodhchandra. But the then Manipur Congress in collusion with the National Congress and few other recently educated self styled politicians were largely responsible for surrendering the sovereignty of Manipur to the Dominion of India violating all the international norms and laws. Over confidence in the leadership of outsiders, mutual suspicion, lack of unity, selfish interest among ourselves were the root cause of our downfall from the ancient historical times till today. But we never learn from history.

In 1901, the Manipur Durbar devised a very effective system of controlling the entry of foreigners (Non-Manipuris) called the Permit or Passport system when the population of Manipur was only 284,465 (1901 Census). Indians coming from other parts of India were called foreigners in the terminology of Manipur Administration. This Permit system was brought under the Foreigners Department on 1 November, 1931. If the foreigners wish to visit Manipur, they were required to take permission from the then Manipur Durbar and had to pay certain amount of taxes. This Permit or Passport System served two important purposes (1) it controls and regulate influx of Non-Manipuris (2) it formed an important item of revenue for the state. The said permit system did not allow any foreigner to acquire or purchase land properties.

In 1948, the Government of India had officially approved retention of the permit system in Manipur vide Mr. G.E.D Walker, Advisor to the Governor of Assam letter no .120/47/C- 26-27 dated 17th January, 1948. This Permit system was abolished by Mr. Himmat Singh, the then Chief Commissioner on 18 November, 1950 allowing free entry, unchecked influx of outsiders from other states .

How Mizoram Government has implemented the Bengal Eastern Frontier Regulation-1873 (Inner Line Permit in Mizoram)

The Mizoram Government had issued a notification on 1st September, 2006 as guideline for the enforcement of the Inner Line Regulation in Mizoram vide Mizoram Gazette Vol, XXXV Regn. No NE-313(MZ) in pursuance of the decision of the Council of Ministers in its meeting held on 11th August, 2006 in exercise of the powers conferred by Section -2 of the Bengal Eastern Frontier Regulation-1873 for regulating the entry of non-indigenous persons within the Inner Line of Mizoram as notified in the notification no. 2106 AP dated 9th March, 1933 published in the Assam Gazette Part-II dated 15th March, 1933.

The Mizoram Government never asked for approval of the central government. The Section -2 of the Bengal Eastern Frontier Regulation-1873 empower the state to implement the Regulation. The Bengal Eastern Frontier Regulation-1873 is not meant only for tribal areas as it was originally implemented in Kamrup, Darrang, Nowgong, Sibsagar, Lakhimpur. The Manipur State Assembly must be knowing that they can do it without referring to the Central Government but they do not want to offend the party high commands and they have decided to sacrifice the interest and future of Manipur for the sake of party politics. Today, they are still playing the same role they have played at the time of Merger Agreement.

People's mass movement on Inner Line Permit System in Manipur.

More than 70% of the Manipuris have supported the recent people's mass movement on Inner Line permit System under the banner of FREINDS except few individuals in their own vested interest. What will be the fate of the indigenous Manipuris if the indigenous population is reduced to minority never strike their mind .

The original demand of the FREINDS was that the Manipur State Assembly should adopt the implementation of the Bengal Eastern frontier Regulation -1873 (Inner Line Permit) in Manipur without referring to the Central Government. But the Manipur State Assembly had so cleverly twisted the matter and referred it to the Central Government that the FREINDS have expressed their thanks to the MLAs and Ministers for referring the matter to the Central Government. Now the Joint Committee on Inner Line Permit System is conducting on the spot study of the outsiders and foreigners settled in various parts of Manipur. This is a people's mass movement .

But Mr. Sushil Kumar Shinde, Union Home Minister had expressed blunt refusal to consider the resolution of the Manipur State Assembly and to adopt the Bengal Eastern frontier Regulation -1873 (Inner Line Permit) in Manipur. This is a direct insult to the Manipur State Assembly. Probably, Mr. Shinde might have understood the half hearted attitude of the Manipur State Assembly in referring the matter to the Government of India as evidenced from the sequence of events that followed. Neither the Hon'ble Chief Minister nor any one of the cabinet colleagues went to Delhi to pursue the matter.

To be continued ...