- DIMAPUR — The Dimapur Naga Students' Union
(DNSU) has criticised Nagaland government's continued delay in implementing the
Inner Line Permit (ILP) in Dimapur and warned of a "demographic time
bomb" threatening the indigenous Naga population.
- In a press statement issued on Thursday, the union
maintained that despite the government’s “pronouncements of intent”, Dimapur
remains the only district in Nagaland vulnerable to “demographic invasion and
the erosion of indigenous rights.”
- It stated that the current situation is a direct consequence
of the government's failure to enforce the Bengal Eastern Frontier Regulation,
1873, designed to protect the land and heritage of the Naga people.
- “Dimapur, the gateway and commercial heart of Nagaland, is
drowning in an unchecked influx of non-residents. This blatant disregard for
the well-being of the indigenous population, hidden behind a veneer of
bureaucratic inertia, is creating a demographic time bomb that threatens to
obliterate our identity and marginalise us in our own land,” the statement
read.
Also read: Dimapur Naga Students’ Union urges Nagaland government to form DTF on ILP enforcement
- According to the DNSU, the state government’s failure to act
decisively and enforce the ILP “smacks of incompetence, if not outright
complicity in the demographic assault on Dimapur.”
- While acknowledging the concerns raised by minority
communities regarding long-term residents, the union stressed that the
implementation of the ILP must prioritise the protection of indigenous rights.
- It argued that voter ID cards and Permanent Residence
Certificates (PRCs), while important, cannot override the need to regulate
entry and “safeguard the demographic integrity of our ancestral land.”
- The union demanded that clear and non-negotiable deadlines
be issued immediately for all non-exempt individuals to obtain ILPs; establish
robust and adequately staffed enforcement mechanisms, including stringent
checks at all entry points such as railway stations, roadways, and other points
of entry; actively involve empowered civil society organisations in monitoring
and enforcing ILP regulations to ensure transparency and accountability; reject
any attempts to create loopholes or exemptions; and facilitate transparent
guidelines and processes for ILP application and verification, leaving no room
for ambiguity or corruption.
