FREINDS reiterates demand on Inner Line Permit
Source: Hueiyen News Service

Imphal, January 30, 2012: Reiterating the demand for implementation of Inner Line Permit System in Manipur, Federation of Regional Indigenous Societies (FREINDS) has pointed out that Northeastern state of Assam has become shelter home for Bangali Muslims influx from Bangladesh.

In a statement, Publicity Secretary of FREINDS W Santa Meetei observed the government of Assam is afraid of taking up the issue of foreigner seriously after the threat of Jawaharlal Nehru that Assam would face financial difficulty if the security of the 2.5 lakh Bangladeshi refugees was not ensured by the government when the then Chief Minister of Assam Gopinath Bordoloi approached the latter on May 18, 1949 with the request for repatriating the refugees.

But today, the total population of the same refugees has become one-third of the entire population of Assam, but these Bangladeshi refugees who have become citizens of Assam are slowly getting foothold on the soil of Manipur too.

The recent arrest of five Bangladeshi Muslims by FREINDS from Wahengbam Leikai Jiri Parking in the night of January 23 is a glaring example of this influx.

None of them possessed any documents to prove their citizenship of India.

Before coming to Manipur, all seven of them stayed in a Hotel run by a Meetei at Silchar for five days and fled without clearing any due payment for fooding and lodging, Santa informed, adding that such conduct of sneakiness on the part of the refugees would never do any good to Manipur.

In the light of the prevailing law and order situation, all the migrant workers need to be verified properly and make them produce affidavits of their residential certificates to show that they were not involved in any crimes.

These measures are all the more necessary in view of the fact that in the past many of the migrant workers staying on rent were found to have given wrong residential address and many who were involved in crimes and came to hide here were arrested.

The possibility of many fugitive terrorists hiding in Manipur could not be ruled out at all.

Taking into consideration of all these facts, concerted efforts should be made for introduction of Inner Line Permit system in Manipur, Santa said.

FREINDS has also expressed its gratitude to OC of City Police and his staff as well as SP of Imphal West District Police and his staff for the care taken in verification of the seven arrested Bangladeshi refugees.

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