Five years of ILP system; what about NRC demand ?
- The People's Chronicle Editorial :: January 30, 2025 -
IT could be safely stated that neither the on-going violence between the Kuki and Meetei communities nor the implementation of the Inner Line Permit (ILP) system has been able to contain the influx of non-locals into the state with exception of the latter helping the administration regulate entry and exit of outsiders. As laws of the land permit movement of bonafide citizens to all corners of the country, it would be outright outrageous to deny entry into the state.
Nevertheless, civil society organisations spearheaded by the Joint Committee on Inner Line Permit System insisted that Manipur must have a law to check the unrestrained entry of outsiders, subsequently resulting in the union government announcing in December 2019 that the Bengal Eastern Frontier Regulations (BEFR), 1873 would be enforced, bringing an end to the almost daily chaos in the state.
As Manipur already had an ILP-like system before its merger with India, civil societies justified the demand for constitutional safeguard of the indigenous population citing rapid increase in the number of non-locals due to lifting of restriction on entry of outsiders by the then chief commissioner Himmat Singh in 1951.
During the height of the pro-ILP movement social commentators and civil society leaders often referred to the 2011 census, specifying that of the total population of around 27 lakhs, only 17 lakhs were indigenous people and the rest outsiders.
With uncontrolled influx threatening to create serious demographic imbalance in the state, and frequent illegal immigrations from Bangladesh, Nepal and Myanmar, the indigenous communities, the Meetei civil organisations in particular demanded issuance of travel document to non-locals, out of fear about assimilation of outsiders owning land, competing for employment opportunities and imminent marginalisation of the natives in their own homeland.
The demand for ILP system also faced fierce objections from leaders of the Chin-Kuki tribal community, who contended that the pursuit for ILP system is part of the broader objective of the Meetei community to settle in the hills.
In fact, rumour was spread that the ILP agitation is a Meetei ploy to gain the Scheduled Tribe status to ultimately grab the land of the tribals and deprecate them further.
Such propaganda even led to frenzied mobs torching the houses of the then Outer Manipur Lok Sabha MP Thangso Baite, then Family Welfare minister Phungzathang Tonsing, and of five Kuki MLAs, including Manga Vaiphei and Vungzagin Valte.
As the movement and subsequent implementation of the ILP system had its fair share of controversies and public miseries, including many agitators suffering injuries in police crackdowns and a student losing his life, it is hoped that similar to the BjP-led government, which has every right to claim the credit for reintroduction of the ILP, commending officials for successful implementation of the legislation to mark the completion of five years of the ILP system in Manipur, would continue to encourage officials for rendering diligent services as well as penalise those undermining sacrifices made by the public and sanctity of the legislation.
Moreover, while introduction of the ILP system has provided some sense of relief to the indigenous communities who are still apprehensive of being outnumbered in their own homeland, the people of Manipur would definitely have high regard for the present regime as and when the government realises the importance of updating National Register of Citizens as such an exercise seems most effective means to enumerate the exact population figure and identify the non-locals.
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