Don’t harass genuine non-Naga inhabitants over Inner Line Permit— NPF

Dimapur, March 4 (EMN): The Naga People’s Front (NPF) has expressed concern over what it called “random and haphazard process of Inner Line Permit (ILP) checking in Dimapur” which was carried out by the police and district administration of late.

Through a statement issued on Wednesday, the party said it had and still supports the extension of Inner Line Permit coverage to Dimapur district but maintained that it “should not be used as an instrument to harass genuine non-Naga inhabitants of Dimapur or as a means to line the pockets of few unscrupulous people”.

“We must acknowledge the contribution of several pioneering prominent citizens from Dimapur who were non-Nagas but were inhabitants even before statehood,” the statement from Naga People’s Front read.

“A proper mechanism has to be put in place that will both ensure the security of genuine citizens while weeding out those who fall under the ambit of ILP. Unless this mechanism is in place, any attempt at enforcing ILP in Dimapur will only be a farcical exercise,” it added. The party said that peaceful co-existence among all sections of people in the state as well as the neighbouring communities shouldn’t be jeopardised by knee-jerk reactions. While assuring its support to make Inner Line Permit regime to Dimapur district a success, Naga People’s Front said “thorough preparatory groundwork needs to be worked out before the actual implementation”.