
The Joint Committee on Inner Line Permit System (JCILPS) said the system of issuing travel permits was a “toothless tiger” in Manipur and did not offer any protection to its indigenous population.
The committee is an umbrella body of groups formed in 2012 to spearhead protests demanding the implementation of the inner line permit (ILP) system.
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.