Inner Line Permit - What the State Government need to do now ?
- Part 2 -

Dr Khomdon Singh Lisam *

Sit-in-protest demanding implementation of Inner Line Permit (ILP) on 10 July 2012 :: Pix - Danial Chabungbam

They are busy sitting in Imphal pursuing for appointment of Parliamentary Secretaries. Is it not ridiculous? Since they themselves are not serious, the Union Home Minister had expressed the blunt refusal. Now the big question is how to achieve our objective without offending the Government of India. Here lies the responsibility of our Hon'ble Chief Minister, Cabinet Ministers and MLAs. They may like to consider the following measures:-

1. Need for amendment of Article 371 C of Indian Constitution on the lines of Article 370 in respect of Jammu and Kashmir plus the terms and conditions of Merger Agreement + equal representation of states in the Rajya Sabha

Now the Manipur State Assembly should come up with a bigger proposal for amendment of the Indian Constitution. The Manipur State Assembly under the Manipur State Congress should try to rectify the historical blunders committed by the Government of India during the last 65 years through amendment of Indian constitution on the lines of Article 370 in respect of Jammu and Kashmir plus the terms and conditions of Merger Agreement + equal representation of states in the Rajya Sabha as done in USA and many other countries. This will automatically cover the provisions of the Inner Line Permit System.

The Manipur State Assembly under the leadership of the Hon'ble Chief Minister can take a strong Assembly Resolution in this regard. Since the Hon'ble Chief Minister is enjoying an absolute majority in the house, there should not be any problem if he is really interested to do something good for the people. This solution is the best option which will bring lasting peace, prosperity, development and restore the respect and dignity and human rights to the Manipuris.

2. Need for implementation of the Bengal Eastern Frontier Regulation-1873 in the next Manipur State Assembly Session

The Manipur State Cabinet or the Manipur State Assembly can adopt the Bengal Eastern Frontier Regulation-1873 in the next Manipur State Assembly Session in November -December, 2012 or February-March, 2013 on the lines which Mizoram state has done in pursuance of the Section -2 of the Bengal Eastern Frontier Regulation-1873 and even invoking the earlier approval of the Government of India vide Mr. G.E.D Walker, Advisor to the Governor of Assam letter no .120/47/C- 26-27 dated 17th January, 1948. But this needs ingenuity, courage, foresightedness, dynamism and sacrifice on the part of the Hon'ble Chief Minister, Speaker, Cabinet Ministers and ruling MLAs. If they want to do something good for the future generation which will last for more than 200 years, this is the golden opportunity for them.

3. State Policy and Law on identification and verification of foreigners and non-indigenous people.

We need to verify the foreigners and segregate the Indians from foreigners. Who is a foreigner? The Foreigners Act, 1946 defines a foreigner as a person who is not a citizen of India. The Section 9 of the Act states that, where the nationality of a person is not evident as per preceding section 8, the onus of proving whether a person is a foreigner or not, shall lie upon such person.

In the context of Manipur, a foreigner may be defined as a person who:
(i) entered Manipur after 15 October 1949.
(ii) was a foreigner
(iii) entered Manipur without being in possession of a valid passport and VISA or any other legal authority.

Foreigners should be identified, verified and deported under the Foreigners Act-1946 and Indians should be allowed to remain. The problem is that the Muslim migrants from Bangladesh look like Manipuri Meitei Pangans. The dress and other characteristics are almost same. The Kukis from Myanmar looked like the original Kukis from Manipur. The Nepalis from Nepal looked like Nepalis of Manipur. The question is how to identify, verify the foreigners and segregate them outsiders(non-indigenous people).

The problem is compounded by the fact that some Manipuri Muslims encouraged, helped and supported the Bangladeshi Muslims to come and settle in Manipur to increase their population. Similarly, some Manipuri Kukis encouraged, helped and supported the Kukis from Myanmar to come and settle in Manipur to increase their population. Some of the Manipuri Nepalis encouraged, helped and supported the Nepalis to come from Nepal to settle in Manipur to increase their population. Many Nepalis from Nepal came and directly recruited in the Manipur Rifles and other government departments during the last 35 years. There are many foreigners settled in the reserved forest areas of Manipur under the nose of the Manipur Forest Department.

Many foreigners are buying land in the valley areas in connivance with the politicians. There is a widespread rumour that the Army and the Assam Rifles are protecting the foreigners in the hill areas and Jiribam by adopting all possible measures. Probably, they are doing this as per instruction of the Government of India. As soon as they arrived, our senior politicians helped them in getting ration cards, electoral rolls, domicile certificate, BPL card, driving licenses and even helped them in purchasing lands. etc. This is happening in Borobekra, Jiribam, Imphal, Thoubal, Serou, Kangpokpi – just to mention a few. Further the foreigners came with intention to marry local girls at the first opportunity so as to enable them to claim for citizenship

The Manipur Police need to visit all the villages where foreigners are settled and need implement the Foreigners Act -1946 honestly and religiously in the interest of Manipur. The Domicile certificate, BPL card, Electoral roll, Affidavit, Voters ID card, Driver Licence, any ID given by the Employer or School or College or land records should not be permitted or allowed as a proof of being Indian. All these documents can be made after arrival in Manipur.

A Foreigners Cell should be opened under the Home Department to deal with the issue of regulation of entry of foreigners, registration, verification of passports, VISA, their stay, departure and deportation. Foreigners staying in rented buildings should be registered under the Foreigners Act -1946 and necessary actions for their deportation should be initiated by the State Government. Similarly, the State Government should initiate a massive drive to identify and verify the foreigners settled in Borobekra, Jirbam, Churachandpur, Chandel, Serou, Kangpokpi, Mantri Pukhri and hundreds of other areas and initiate for their deportation under the Foreigners Act -1946.

For Metei Pangan, every Meitei Pangan has got Meitei surname and their genealogy (family history) can be traced. The language and accent of Meitei Pangan will be different from the language and accent of the Bangladeshi Muslims. Similarly, the genealogy of the Kukis, Nepalis and their fluency in Meiteilon will greatly help in identification and verification. Adhoc arrangement of verification of foreigners just for the purpose of media should be stopped. It should be an ongoing and continuous process. Since this is a gigantic task, they may take the help of civil societies like FREINDS or UCM or AMUCO or any other organisation dedicated the cause of public interest.

The State Government should come out with a clear –cut state policy and a law to identify and verify the outsiders and differentiate them from foreigners. We welcome the foreigners subject to fulfilment of the provisions of the Foreigners Act -1946. We welcome the Indians (outsiders) as tourists, students, patients and businessmen but they will be required to have an Inner Line Permit (Identity Card) for their own protection and for verification from time to time.

They will require State Government permission for purchasing land properties. When local girls are married to outsiders, the local girls should not be allowed to inherit land properties or to purchase land in their name. This is required for protection of our identity, culture, language and script of the indigenous Manipuris. This is done in Kashmir and many other countries. There is no problem with Nagas and Kukis since nobody can buy land from them. The problem is mainly with the Meiteis and Metei Pangans. Land properties purchased by foreigners after 1949 or 1951 should be returned to the owner.

The State Cabinet or the State Assembly may like to do it immediately without referring to the Central Government. What will be the cut off date? Is it from 15 October 1949 or 1st January, 1951 or later date. The Manipur State Assembly has to decide referring to earlier agreements, documents.

3. Amendment of the Manipur land Revenue Act-1860: The State Government may consider amendment of the Manipur land Revenue Act -1960 to protect the agricultural land of the valley and to protect the land of the Meiteis. The so called major community Meteis are becoming minority in their own land and losing land to the non-Meiteis because of Government of India peculiar policy. Nobody in the valley should be allowed to sell land to non-Meiteis.

The sale of land properties to non- Meteies should be banned under this act. The Hill population of Manipur (1093532-2011 Census) (40.18 %) is occupying 89.97% of the state land (20089 sq.km) whereas the valley population of Manipur (1628224-2011 Census) (9.82%) is occupying 10,02% of state land (2238 sq.km). Further the valley population consists of lakhs of tribals, many of them had migrated from hills. Still, in the valley, nobody can buy land from tribals. This is a great discrimination against the Meteies which is a microscpic minority in India.

The foreigners, the outsiders as well as tribals are buying the agricultural land of the valley reducing the size eof the paddy fields in the valley every year. This has happened due to benevolent attitude and short-sightedness of our previous chief minsiters. Protecting the land properties of the Meteies has become an urgent need considering the random sales of Meieti lands to the non-Meiteis.

Further, the Meitei women who married outsiders should not be permitted to inherit ancestral land of Manipur as done in other states and other countries. This measure will kill two birds (1) it will protect the agricultural land of the valley. (2) It will discourage the non-Manipuris to settle in Manipur permenently by marrying Meitei women. This provision is not applicable to the tribals as nobody can buy land from them. We need a bold and courageuos Chief Minister and MLAs to implement this.

4. Political movement : All non-congress political parties are also working for the welfare of the people. They should not remian as silent spectators in this people's mass movement of Inner Line Permit system. It is time for them to become united. They can also organise various forms of protests inclduing "Jail bharo andolon", rallies, strikes, hartals, bandhs, civil disobedience movement, non-cooperation movement etc. in order to gain the love, support and confidence of the people as well to achive the target. They should identify and go with the people in order to win votes as well as to achieve our objectives. They have to identify the core issues of Manipur and act on it. That way, the image of the opposition parties will be revived.

5. Dead Line : Considering all these facts, the FREINDS , civil societies, youth oraganisations, women organisations, intellectual groups and lawyers may consider for initiating systematic and effective advocacy campaigns to urge the law makers to adopt the policies and laws as mentioned above in the next Manipur State Assembly Session.

Further Shri O. Ibobi Singh, Hon'ble Chief Minister, his cabinet colleaques and MLAs may kindly mobilise all the resources at their command to adopt appropriate strategies for amendment of the consitution, policies for identification and verification of foreigners and non-indigenous people and amendment of Manipur Land Revenue Act-1960 in the next Manipur State Assembly Session. God has given them this opportunity to do something good for the future generation of Manipur which will last for more than 200 years. The chance may not come twice. The time for action is TODAY, tomorrow, it may be too late.

Concluded ...