Non-locals
Source: The Sangai Express / Newmai News Network
Imphal, June 05 2013:
At least 40 non-locals coming to Manipur from Dimapur side along National Highway-2 were sent back from Sekmai in Imphal West district by volunteers of several student organisations as the agitation by Joint Committee on Inner Line Permit System (JCILPS) to prevent non-Manipuris from visiting the state from June 1 ended Wednesday, reports NNN.
Following the failure of the State and Central Governments to announce a clear stance on the Inner Line Permit issue, the JCILPS had announced to stop entering of non-locals to the State between June 1-5 .
Volunteers of 'ILP system students' section' from student bodies like All Manipur Students' Union (AMSU), Democratic Students' Alliance of Manipur (DESAM) and Kangleipak Students' Association (KSA) including volunteers from Sekmai Protection Committee conducted checking on every vehicles moving toward Imphal from Dimapur side as part of the agitation by JCILPS on Wednesday.
While doing so, the volunteers found about 40 non-locals entering the state in seven different vehicles around 11 am.
They then forced them to return to their respective places, sources said.
In the midst of the restive move by the volunteers, a team of Sekmai Police rushed to the site and attempted to bar them from checking and sending back of outsiders, leading to a melee.
An Assam Rifles party was also present at the scene and uttered threatening words to quell them from the site.
Afterwards the police drove them away from the spot.
Again, the volunteers unrelentingly stopped vehicles heading toward the capital Imphal and continued checking of suspected non-Manipuris in Luwangshangbam area but no outsiders were found in the vehicles.
With the dateline of the ultimatum given to Manipur Government to clear its stance on introduction of Inner Line Permit system in the state was ending, JCILPS had on May 30 decided to go on with its earlier decision to stop visiting of non-locals to the state from June 1-5 and disallow outsiders to enter into the lanes and localities of the state from June 6-10 .
Representatives of JCILPS had met the Chief Minister, Chief Secretary and other Cabinet ministers on May 20 during which they had discussed seriously about the ultimatum served JCILPS to the Government to announce its stance on implementation of ILP system in the state, the committee's convenor Sapamcha Jadumani had said.
He had also said that during the meeting the Government side called for withdrawal of the committee's decision to stop non-Manipuris from coming to the state.
Jadumani had lashed out at the Chief Minister O Ibobi Singh for allegedly being double standard and accused the Congress Government of ignoring the resolution of the state assembly with regard to introduction of the ILP system under Bengal Eastern Frontier Regulations, 1873 .
"Ibobi says he wants to implement ILP system in Manipur and at the same time he says the system will be demanded by other states too and India may breakup if it is introduced in the state.
This clearly indicates his Government is not willing to introduce the system in Manipur," he had said.
"The Chief Minister wants Manipur to be died out in order to save India and his remarks on ILP introduction shows that he is an anti-Manipuri," he had alleged.
The design to convert Manipur into a 'hybrid state' was never right and the integrity of the nation could only be protected only when there was ILP system, Jadumani had affirmed.