NGOs condemn DESAM and JCILPS for allegedly terming local Bengalis as Bangladeshi
Source: IT News
Imphal, March 23 2017:
A group of NGOs from Jiribam district of Manipur and surroundings on Tuesday condemned the members of organizations like Democratic Students Alliance of Manipur (DESAM) and Joint Committee for Inner Line Permit (JCILP) for allegedly calling the Bengalis residing in the state as Bangladeshis and demanded apology from them.
Members of non-governmental organizations like Social United Network, Talash NGO, Barak Awami Students Front, AMSA and others in a joint press release said that the people from Bengali communities have contributed a lot for the development of Manipur and they were residing in the state as Indian nationals.
The JCILP has been spearheading the agitation for inner line permits in Manipur for the past two years.
An inner line permit is a special pass required to enter certain restricted areas in the country.
Even Indian citizens need a permit to enter Arunachal Pradesh, Nagaland and Mizoram.
Manipur has been demanding such permits since 2012 to restrict the entry of 'outsiders' .
No Indian national can be termed as outsiders in any state of the Indian Territory but these organisations are spreading hateful thoughts among the innocent local people.
We condemn their moves and also offer them to join us with positive attitude to take positive steps for the development of the state, the members said.
The members also said that a large number of Manipuris are residing outside Manipur peacefully and most of them live in Bengali dominating Barak Valley.
The Bengalis in Barak Valley are not disturbing the Manipuris and the groups should understand this.
They are agitating against the Bengalis but if similar agitation gets sparked in Barak Valley; it will not be possible for the state to bring back all the Manipuris residing there.
So it is better to keep peace among the communities and fight for the issue of development, they added to say.