‘ILP check gate’ at Meghalaya border sparks confusion

Shillong: Confusion and concern prevailed among people, especially those from outside, including intending tourists, over the setting up of an inner line permit (ILP) ‘check gate’ in Ri-Bhoi district by the Khasi Students’ Union (KSU) on Saturday.
This was done to check the entry of suspected illegal migrants into Meghalaya, despite the ILP not being officially implemented in the tribal-majority state.
The ‘ILP check gate’ was established at Pahammawlein village along National Highway-6 in Ri Bhoi district, near the Meghalaya-Assam interstate boundary. KSU president Lambokstarwell Marngar, general secretary Donald V Thabah, and other Union members conducted identity checks on non-tribal occupants of vehicles entering the state, in the presence of the police.
Those without valid documents were asked to return to their states of origin. Union leaders reported that around 100 persons without relevant documents were detected during the drive.
KSU president Marngar said the check gate was a protest against the central govt’s delay in implementing the ILP system and the Meghalaya Residents Safety & Security Act (MRSSA) by the state government.
He added that this was not the first time KSU had set up check gates and that they would continue if adequate measures to check the influx of ‘outsiders’ into the state were not implemented by the central and state govts.
The ILP is a special permit required by residents of other regions of the country to enter Arunachal Pradesh, Nagaland, Mizoram, and Manipur.
On December 19, 2019, in a special session, the Meghalaya Legislative Assembly unanimously adopted a resolution urging the central government to introduce the ILP regime into the state by including Meghalaya in the preamble of the Bengal Eastern Frontier Regulations, 1873.