For the people of Dimapur — the 70 sq km district of the
16,579 sq km area state of Nagaland — the Inner Line Permit, or ILP, which many
love and many despise, is here and being cheered and jeered.
And while I understand the rationale behind it, for illegal
immigration of Bangladeshi nationals is indeed an issue, and ILP has been
largely successful in containing the demographic change in parts of the state
where it has remained implemented since 1873; Dimapur is a special case.
When I say Dimapur is a special case, I am not advocating
that ILP should not be implemented but rather pointing at the fact that
implementing it here tooth and nail is going to take more than sweat and blood,
especially with the current terms and conditions in place.
Population and large-scale unawareness
Unlike other districts of the state where the population of
non-Nagas remains meagre, in Dimapur, as per the 2011 census, it was more than
40% or more than 1,54,000, and enforcing ILP on such a large population (of
course, there are also those who would be exempted) with limited resources is
difficult, and its success is not possible without the support, understanding,
and cooperation of those who need to obtain the permits.
For them to come out voluntarily, they need to be made
aware, but there has not been any large-scale awareness about it. And since the
notifications and everything are being communicated in English (like this very
article), largely and sparsely, it cannot be expected that people are fully
aware of it. People who are fluent with everyday worldly affairs like you and I
underestimate the fact that there are also people who live in absolute social
bubbles and might not even know the name of the Chief Minister of Nagaland.
The guarantor dilemma
In my personal experience, most of the people I know who
don’t have documents prior to 1979 are ready to obtain an ILP and continue with
their lives and their own set of problems. The process being online is actually
very convenient and a time saver and is seen as a relief from infinite queues
and a possible feeling of harassment.
But the catch of having a guarantor is certain to restrict a
large population, even if genuine Indian citizens, from getting an ILP. While
the need for a guarantor in the process feels necessary and makes perfect
sense, not everyone knows someone immediately and so closely that they would be
ready to be their guarantor. Take the example of a daily wage earner who goes
to a spot every morning and waits for someone, a stranger, who would appear and
offer him two days of work. In this case, why would the stranger who just needs
the service of the labourer for two days want to be a guarantor for him?
There are so many details and documents needed (including an
indigenous certificate) to be a guarantor that even if someone knows someone
for years, he would still be hesitant to be the applicant's guarantor. If I
were eligible to be a guarantor, I would be hesitant to risk my peace and
reputation by becoming someone’s guarantor even if that person has been working
for me for the past two years.
I am not saying that the guarantors will be held responsible
for all the wrongs of the persons they chose to be guarantors of, but the
application process gives such a feel, and as long as this stays this way, the
ILP implementation will be difficult, considering that guarantors would be
needed for such a huge population in such a porous district.
If instead of a guarantor, for certain categories, a
certificate in a prescribed format from the village council where they live
were accepted, there would certainly be large-scale and easy adoption of ILP.
The game of cat and mouse
Suppose the present rules and regulations stay; then,
surely, many would not be able to get an ILP, though they might want one,
because of the lack of a guarantor. Then what happens? Do you think they would
simply decide to move out of Dimapur or not visit the district anymore? No.
Dimapur is a commercial hub, and all these people have their
houses (on leased lands), shops, offices, and employments here. They would
continue to be on the streets and in the public spaces — without ILPs. Here, I
am talking about genuine Indian citizens and the simpletons, not the doubtful
ones who might not even bother to process the idea of getting an ILP.
They would accept the occasional harassment they might face
because of not having an ILP as a way of life and engage in a play of cat and
mouse. I am saying occasional because I continue to believe that it is simply
not possible to stop and question everyone all the time. Some might think that
engaging civil society organisations would solve the issue, but that would only
open a Pandora’s box.
Ambiguous categories
In its present form, the categories are also ambiguous. As
of May 27, 2025, there are categories like tourists, traders, labourers, technical
personnel/consultant, priests, teachers, students, and partners in business.
Now, it’s very much unclear where housewives, parents,
unemployed youths, someone who serves tea in an office, etc., fit in. Also,
while for many the fees might seem tiny, it is still pricey enough for a daily
wage earner who doesn’t get work every day and needs to get four ILPs for
himself and his family.
Open borders, floating population
Unlike other districts which can be strictly monitored,
Dimapur has numerous entry points, excluding the railways and airways, and
regulating each point is simply not possible, as besides the huge population of
the district, there is also a sizeable floating population who travel to
Dimapur from Assam every morning to work and for other reasons. Even if one
decides to regulate a popular point, they will be risking humongous traffic
jams.
The way out?
Since the majority of the state populace wants ILP in
Dimapur, there should be ILP in Dimapur. It might impact Dimapur economically,
but that is an issue that can be discussed later.
For ILP to be implemented and have maximum impact and attain
the goal of containing illegal immigration, it’d be better if the categories
are revised and new categories are added. Right now, it’s just too few and too
unclear.
Also, some flexibility in the guarantor part, like replacing
individual guarantors with certificates from village councils, will go a long
way in bringing maximum people under the fold of ILP.
The rates can be revised, as it has been communicated that
ILP, in the present context, is aimed at curbing the influx of illegal
Bangladeshi immigrants (its main intention remains to preserve the cultural
identity, land, and traditions of indigenous tribal populations), and revenue
generation might not be the main focus.
