Meghalaya awaits Centre’s response on ILP

Meghalaya Chief Minister Conrad Sangma told the assembly on Monday that the state government was awaiting the response of the Central Government on the implementation of the Inner Line Permit (ILP) in the state.
Replying to a Zero Hour notice moved by suspended Congress legislator Mayralborn Syiem, Sangma said that the seriousness of the Meghalaya Democratic Alliance government had been shown by the passing of the resolution on December 19, 2019, following the increasing demand for implementation of the ILP.
Sangma said the demand for ILP even grew stronger after implementation of the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) with several NGOs convening meetings in and around the state expressing their dissent against the non-implementation of the ILP.
He said the resolution was sent to the MHA for consideration on December 23, 2019 and the government again approached the MHA on the matter through a letter dated November 17, 2020. The Chief Minister further informed that the state government had also submitted a memorandum, which includes ILP as one of the demands, to the Union Home Minister Amit Shah during his visit to the state on February 23, last year.
He said that a delegation of local MLAs, which had also met the Union home minister in New Delhi on February 20, 2020 was informed that the Centre was examining the resolution passed by the Meghalaya Legislative Assembly and it was assured that the rights of the tribal people of the state would not be diluted. The Chief Minister said that seven members from each of the seven NGOs met Shah and conveyed the importance of implementing ILP in the state.
Magisterial inquiry into mob lynching
A day after mob lynching of four of the six prisoners who had escaped from the Jowai district prison and correctional home in West Jaintia Hills district, the state government has ordered a magisterial inquiry into the incident that had occurred at Shangpung on Sunday. Making a suo motu statement in the assembly on the second day of the autumn session on Monday, Home Minister Lahkmen Rymbui said additional district magistrate BK Boro will head the magisterial probe and the report will be submitted on September 19, while a separate police inquiry is also on. Those lynched by a mob of over 5000 from different villages were I Love You Talang who was recently arrested by police in a twin murder case.
Meanwhile, Ramesh Dkhar, who had escaped the Jowai district prison and correctional home in West Jaiñtia Hills was arrested today from Phramer, police sources said. Ramesh along with six other prisoners had escaped the jail on September 10. He had managed to flee from the mob lynching in Shangpung on Sunday, where four others were killed.