Decode Politics: Why ILP making news in Northeast again, this time Meghalaya

How did the ILP come to be?

The concept originated out of the Bengal Eastern Frontiers Regulations (1873), which prohibited the entry of any British subject or foreign citizen beyond a prescribed “Inner Line” – essentially demarcating the plains areas of Assam from the tribal hills surrounding it – without a pass. It also prohibited any person “not being a native” of the areas concerned to “acquire any interest in land or the product of land beyond the said Inner Line” without sanction. The regulations sought to both reassure tribals, who had their own strict customs, that the British would not interfere in their areas, as well as to protect British commercial interests in the plains from raids and incursions from the tribes.

After Independence, the policy was extended, also with the stated aim of protecting tribal interests. Over time, different communities in the Northeast have demanded extension of the ILP to their respective areas, with the primary aim of checking “uncontrolled migration” from other parts of India and “illegal immigration”, so that their way of life is not “threatened”.

What is the demand being raised in Meghalaya?

Since 1972, when the state was carved out of Assam, groups have been demanding extension of the ILP regime to Meghalaya. The KSU, which is at the centre of the renewed push for it, was formed in 1978, and since then has led numerous agitations to protect Khasi language culture and traditions, at the heart of which lies the demand for an ILP.

The state government has also formally taken up the matter. In 2019, the Meghalaya government led by Conrad Sangma’s National People’s Party, which is a part of the BJP-led NDA, adopted a resolution urging the Centre to extend the ILP regulations to Meghalaya to “safeguard and protect the rights of the people and the state”.

Following last week’s assault on migrant workers by pressure groups, Sangma stated that the ball was in the Centre’s court. “We passed a resolution in the Assembly urging the government of India to implement the ILP in the state but that has not been cleared yet. So, the question of (the state government) not implementing it does not arise,” he said, to those raising questions about his government’s actions on an ILP.

Does Meghalaya already enjoy some protections, and what more are being sought?

While Meghalaya does not have the ILP system, almost the entire state comes under the jurisdiction of three Autonomous District Councils, set up under the provisions of the Sixth Schedule of the Indian Constitution, to boost self-government by tribal communities. Because of this, the state is also effectively exempted from the special provisions of the Citizenship (Amendment) Act, which grants fast-track citizenship to certain categories of immigrants (a touchy issue in the Northeast).

Earlier this year, CM Sangma said the state government was still demanding the ILP system as the CAA might see “spillover effect” from other parts of the Northeast.

In 2016, the Meghalaya government had sought to introduce ILP-like regulations through amendments to the Meghalaya Residents Safety and Security Act, which required registration and documentation of all non-state residents visiting or living in the state. However, an ordinance passed in this regard by the Cabinet and referred to the President by the Governor was returned and hence never came into effect.

What about the ILP and other parts of the Northeast?

Amidst concerns regarding the CAA and the renewed demand for an ILP regime, Manipur has seen its return. With the state not enjoying exemptions of the Sixth Schedule either, the ILP demand was acceded by the Centre and it came into effect in Manipur starting January 2020.

In Nagaland, the mixed population Dimapur district is the only part excluded from the ILP, and groups like the Naga Students’ Federation have been demanding that it be implemented there.

All of Arunachal is covered by the ILP.