Morung Express News
Dimapur | December 30
As Assam gets ready to publish the first draft of National Register of Citizens (NRC), there are apprehensions rife from different quarters that those not included in the list, allegedly illegal immigrants, may try to find a way into Nagaland and other states in North East.
On directions from the Supreme Court, the Registrar-General of India is expected to publish the list on December 31, 2017 to distinguish Indian citizens living in Assam from those who illegally entered the State from Bangladesh after March 25, 1971.
The initial list would contain the names of nearly two crore of the 3.28 crore who applied for inclusion in the registry from 2013.
The centre has mobilised around 60,000 police and paramilitary troops in a sensitive border state ahead of the publication of a list of citizens it says will be used to detect and deport illegal immigrants - mainly Muslims - from neighbouring Bangladesh.
Against the back drop, Nagaland Home Minister Kuzholuzo (Azo) Nienu on Saturday said he would be taking the issue of illegal immigrants on a war footing. Only inducted into the council of ministers a couple of days back, Nienu said he was yet to take stock of the situation.
However, the Home Minister said his first priority would be to impose Inner Line Permit (ILP) in Dimapur district, which has been alleged to be a hub for illegal immigrants, since it is a free ILP zone.
“My first priority is to impose ILP in Dimapur within the short period before the general election as minister of home,” Nienu told The Morung Express.
With no ILP in Dimapur, regarded as the commercial hub and gateway to Nagaland, allegations are awash from various quarters that there are steady influxes of suspected illegal immigrants to Nagaland via Dimapur.
In fact a number of civil societies have been urging the Nagaland Government time and again to impose ILP in Dimapur district in order to curb the influx of illegal immigrants.
Only recently, the Naga Students’ Federation (NSF) had demanded that the Nagaland Government take steps to introduce and bring Dimapur district under the purview of the ILP. The NSF has censured the half-hearted implementation of the ILP in Nagaland by the state authorities.
Survival Nagaland (SN), a body which had been in the forefront to check the influx of illegal immigrants into the state had been demanding the Government to bring Dimapur district under ILP zone.
The SN maintained that Assam’s NRC exercise was a blessing since most suspected illegal citizens resides in Nagaland with Assam documents. However, the SN pointed out that with no mechanism to tackle the menace as of now, the only option left “is to welcome the proven illegal immigrants with open arms after they are kicked out by the Assam government.”
Residents of Chumukedima had also adopted a resolution to restrict entry of illegal Bangladeshi immigrants (IBIs) late this year.
The resolution was adopted at a public rally to “create awareness” on alleged influx of IBIs following an attack on a Naga family allegedly by a group of non-Nagas in the town on September 21, 2017.
While the issue of illegal immigrants had been running for years, the State Government is yet to take any concrete steps or introduce proper mechanism to curb the influx. There have been suggestions from various quarters that ILP system should be enforced by installing the ‘Border Passport Control Units or ILP Units’ at various entry points, such as Dimapur railway station, Nagaland gate (Golaghat road), Nagaland gate (Dillai) and anywhere deemed required.
In 2016, the police manning the Chumukedima check gate, which serves as the gateway to the rest of Nagaland took 102 person to court for not possessing ILP. According to the Officer- in -Charge, Diphupar Police Station, most of the defaulters were either from Assam’s Karimganj area and Bihar. While some were not aware that they need to possess ILP to enter inside Nagaland territory, many were suspected illegal immigrants, the police officer said.
Dimapur dist admn has issued 73,916 ILP (gate pass) from 2013 till date As per data provided by the Dimapur District Administration, it issued around 73,916 ILP since January 2013 till September 2017. In 2016, the district administration had issued 20422 ILP (gate pass), on 2015, 17193, in 2014, 11164 and in 2013, 13913.
In 2017, from January till September, the district administration has issued 11224 ILP. There have been allegations that the ILP issued by the district administration are done without properly verifying the documents.
A police personnel manning the Chumukedima check gate told The Morung Express said it becomes difficult for the police manning the check gates to check ILP along with other pressing duties, adding “What we need is a separate ILP cell in all the strategic locations/check gates.”
Not only in Dimapur, the issue of illegal immigrant has become a worrisome in Wokha district too with the inhabitants reporting that it is rapidly changing the commercial landscape in the district.
With only a couple of month to go before the next Nagaland Legislative Assembly election, it remains to be seen how the new Home Minister will work out on the modalities to tackle the issue of illegal immigrants. However, Nienu revealed that he has called for a meeting with the DG, ADGs and IGPs on January 2, 2018 to deliberate on the issue.
The Home Minister said he would be consulting with the chief minister and the cabinet at the earliest on the same. “Within this short period (before election) I will take up the issue on a war footing,” Nienu said.
