The influential North East Student Organisations (NESO) staged a sit-in-protest across seven capitals of the North Eastern States – Shillong, Kohima, Guwahati, Aizawl, Agartala, Itanagar and Imphal and Agartala – on Monday, as part of its region-wide agitation demanding detection and deportation of illegal Bangladeshi immigrants from the region.
NESO Chairman Samuel Jyrwa led the sit-in-demonstration at Khyndai Lad, the main commercial town in Meghalaya’s capital Shillong with members of the Khasi Students’ Union, a constituent of the NESO.
The Federation of Khasi Jaintia and Garo People (FKJGP), Hynñiewtrep National Youth Front (HNYF) and Hynñiewtrep Integrated Territorial Organisation (HITO), also joined the protest in Shillong.
Jyrwa said the sit-in-strike was a “call to action for the government at the centre and the states” to address the serious issue of illegal immigration of Bangladeshi nationals in the region.
Citing the example of Tripura, where the indigenous Tripuris population has been reduced to a mere 30 per cent due to mass migration of people from Bangladesh, the NESO Chairman said, “The indigenous communities of Tripura are not only marginalised but also oppressed and suppressed by the Government of Tripura headed by non-indigenous Tripuris.”
“We have seen the situation in Tripura, Assam and in Meghalaya. We have witnessed upheavals and people’s movement against infiltration of illegal Bangladeshi immigrants. Therefore, through this region-wide protest we want the Indian government and the state governments in the Northeast region to take proactive actions on the ground to stop this illegal infiltration and deport all illegal immigrants from our region,” Jyrwa said.
Noting that Prime Minister Narendra Modi has acknowledged the large-scale immigration in his address on Independence Day, the NESO Chairman said, “we hope that the Centre will take concrete steps to protect the welfare of the indigenous people of the region.”
The Khasi Students’ Union (KSU), an influential student body in Meghalaya, said it would continue to mount pressure on the governments at the centre and the state to implement the Inner Line Permit (ILP) in Meghalaya to curb burgeoning influx issue.
“KSU’s demand for implementation of ILP is not new. We have launched several agitations since the 70s and till date against infiltration of illegal Bangladeshi immigrants in Meghalaya. But it is unfortunate that successive governments have failed to address our genuine concerns,” KSU President Lambokstar Marngar said.
Marngar accused the Centre of “insulting the sentiments” of the indigenous people of Meghalaya by delaying implementation of ILP despite Meghalaya Assembly in 2019 had unanimously adopted a resolution for implementation of the ILP in the State.
“What is the problem of the central government? ILP has already been granted to Manipur. If the central government treats us equally to safeguard and protect the identity of the indigenous people of the state of Meghalaya, of Meghalaya, the central government should grant ILP,” the KSU President asserted.
In fact, the resolution was adopted by the Meghalaya Assembly in response to the widespread demand coming from across the state for introduction of ILP in the state after the contentious Citizenship Amendment Act was enacted by the Central government.
ILP is an official travel document issued by the Indian government to allow inward travel of an Indian citizen into a protected/restricted area for a limited period.
It is obligatory for Indian citizens from outside Arunachal Pradesh, Nagaland, Mizoram and Manipur to obtain a permit for entering the restricted areas.
The regulation designed to preserve ethnicity and culture of the northeastern tribals, required all Indian citizens, not usually residents of the area, to secure a special permit for entering the border states and regions of the northeast.
NESO PROTEST IN IMPHAL DEMANDS CONCRETE, SUSTAINED MEASURE ON ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS
Students of various colleges and schools on Monday staged a protest in Imphal, joining a region-wide protest called by the North East Students’ Organisation (NESO) demanding addressing the “long pending, unaddressed and escalating issue of illegal migration into our region”.
NESO, representing eight of the most prominent and influential student movements across the seven northeast states of India carried out a demonstration across the region demanding strict action against illegal immigrants.
In Imphal, the sit-in-protest protest was organized by All Manipur Students’ Union (AMSU) attended by a large number of students from various colleges and schools across the valley.
Urging the Centre and the state governments in the region to take immediate action against illegal immigration into northeast India, the students participating in the protest also demanded resolving the ongoing crisis in Manipur and resettlement of the IDPs of the crisis at their respective native places. Placards read- “Resolve Manipur conflict and bring holistic peace”, “Resettle the IDPs at their own land”, “No delimitation exercise in Manipur until NRC update”, “Update NRC in all northeast states”, etc. were displayed at the protest site.
At the concluding part of the protest, leaders and representatives of the AMSU submitted a memorandum to Manipur Governor Ajay Kumar Balla in Imphal’s Raj Bhavan on behalf of the NESO.
The memorandum drew the attention of the state government and the Centre while expressing deep concern over the long-standing, unaddressed, and escalating issue of illegal migration in the northeast region of the country.
The north east region of the country has been grappling with the challenge of uncontrolled and unchecked influx of illegal migrants for decades.
The NESO traced the problem of the illegal migration into the region back to soon after India attained independence in 1947 and alleged that, over time, it has grown into one of the most pressing threats to the socio-cultural fabric, demographic balance, and political stability of the states.
While placing the detailed accounts of the problems created by the illegal immigrants in other states of the region, the NESO stated that Manipur too has been facing the illegal influx from Myanmar and Bangladesh which has resulted in demographic imbalance and political instability.
The Manipur government, in 1980 and 1994, had signed memorandum of understandings with AMSU and AMSCOC to detect and deport the illegal immigrants from the state.
However, the agreements have still not been implemented, the memorandum lamented.
NESO further urged both the Centre and the states to treat the issue with urgency, warning that the identity, culture, and very existence of indigenous communities were under threat.
The apex body of the student bodies demanded immediate detection and deportation of illegal immigrants, strict sealing of the Indo-Bangladesh border, enhanced surveillance and security deployment, and improved inter-state coordination to prevent relocation of migrants within the region.
They also pressed for legal safeguards and policy measures to protect indigenous rights, culture, language, political representation, and land ownership.
Further, they called for the creation of a Special Review Committee to address population growth in vulnerable areas.
“The demographic and cultural changes already visible in parts of the northeast are warnings of an existential crisis. Unless strong and sustained measures are taken, the identity of the indigenous peoples may be irreversibly altered,” the memorandum warned.