ILP delegates meet Union HM Shinde
Source: Hueiyen News Service

Imphal, November 23 2012: Delegates of Joint Committee on Inner Line Permit in Manipur met Union Home Minister Sushil Kumar Shinde in New Delhi today and pressed him for implementation of Inner Line Permit system in Manipur but the latter did not give any assurance.

Nonetheless, the delegates submitted a memorandum to the Union Home Minister in this regard.

According to the Joint Committe members, the meeting was diplomatically cordial but far from satisfactory as the Union home minister did not give any commitment to implement the ILP system in Manipur.

The Manipur delegates met Sushil Kumar Shinde accompanied by Dr Th Meinya, Lok Sabha member from Manipur at the office of Ministry of Home Affairs for about 45 minutes.

"The Union home minister said our movement was genuine but he asked us about the merit of the Inner Line Permit system.

This shows that the government lacks interest and failed to understand our campaign here in Manipur even after a year long campaign," said the Joint Committee members.

"This means that we will have to continue our campaign for the implementation of the Inner Line Permit," added the Joint Committee members.

Meanwhile, the memorandum said, "We have the pleasure to invite your kind attention that the Indigenous people of Manipur are now highly alarmed with the threat of loss of identity, political rights, economical rights and their total marginalization" .

The alarming issue is aroused due to the perennial influx of outsider in Manipur.

Excessive migrants from Myanmar, Bangladesh, Nepal and other parts of India are dominating over the indigenous peoples.

Under the circumstances the people of Manipur are very much eager for implementation of Inner Line Permit to maintain its time immemorial rich identity, the memorandum added.

Without such regulation, influx of outsiders cannot be controlled.

Therefore, on behalf of the people of Manipur, we humbly request you to honour and respect the Resolution of the Manipur State Legislative Assembly to implement ILP in Manipur.

"We consider that it is the responsibility of Indian State to protect and save the identity, socio-economic and rights of the citizens, including the people of Manipur.

We, therefore, request you to have a deep thought on our request and initiate necessary positive action from your end to meet the aspiration of the people of Manipur," the Joint Committee memo also stated.

"We may take the opportunity to place you that Manipur was an Independent Kingdom with written historical chronicle dating from 33 A.D.The sovereignty of Manipur was lost into the hands of the British in 1891.Manipur regained independence in 1947, and established a democratically elected government under its own Constitution of Manipur few years before the Indian constitution was adopted," it further said.

Manipur had its own policy of controlling and checking outsiders before the British invasion in 1891 .

It was continued as Permit system during British rule.

The permit system for entering into Manipur was recognised by the Dominion Government of India before the controversial annexation took place in 1949.The permit system was continued till 17 November 1950, until it was arbitrarily abolished without the consent of the indigenous peoples during the Chief Commissioner's rule in Manipur.

"Our demand for permit system in Manipur is framed within the existing constitutional framework.

We held the Government of India as fully responsible to protect the interest of the people of Manipur to defend their identity, socio-cultural, political and economic rights.

We appeal the Government of India to positively view our demand and extend every possible co-operation to honour and respect the resolution of the Manipur Legislative assembly to implement Inner Line Permit in Manipur," the memorandum stated.

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