‘Inner line permit system in Manipur flawed; set a cut-off date for indigenous population’

Phulindro Konsam, convener of the committee, said the state issued a gazette notification on December 31, 2019 that the inner line permit system had been implemented for the protection of the indigenous population. The people welcomed the announcement hoping that it would serve its stated purpose, he said. However, it has failed to offer any protection to the indigenous population, he alleged. “This is a flawed system. Therefore, the state needs to take up measures to make the ILP system effective and strong,” he said.

Konsam said that unless a clear definition of the indigenous population was made, it would be difficult to identify non-indigenous people. “Those who had settled before 1950 should be considered indigenous while those who arrived after 1951 ought to be regarded as non-indigenous,” he said.

Konsam said that in the neighbouring states of Assam and Mizoram, the definitions were clear.

The inner line permit regime was extended to Manipur on December 11, 2019, two days after Union Home Minister Amit Shah announced in Parliament the central government’s decision to do so. As per the system, a temporary pass for 15 days will cost Rs 100 while labourers can get six-month passes for the same charge. Frequent visitors can get six-month passes for Rs 1,000.

The state government had said it would fix the cut-off date for determining indigenous people only after the National Register of Citizens was prepared.