Minority communities propose Inner Line Permit exemptions in Nagaland

Basu Damani speaks to the media on Friday.

• DIMAPUR — Following the Home department’s notification to extend the provisions of the Bengal Eastern Frontier Regulation to Chümoukedima, Niuland, and Dimapur districts, a meeting was held among the minority communities in Nagaland here today at the conference hall of the deputy commissioner's office.
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• The meeting was attended by the presidents and representatives of Bengali Samaj, Jain Samaj, Agarwal Samaj, Muslim Council Dimapur, Nagaland Bihari Samaj, Nagaland Bhojpuri Samaj, Sikh Samaj, Dimapur Gorkha Union, Marwari Samaj, Kerala Samaj, Telugu Samaj, and Utkal Samaj.
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• While interacting with media persons following the meeting, the general secretary of Shree Marwari Samaj, Basu Damani, remarked that the implementation of the Inner Line Permit (ILP) is a state subject, and there are no objections to its enforcement in Dimapur.
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• However, he said that concerns have been raised about exempting individuals who are already included in the voters’ list and are permanent residents of Nagaland.
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• Damani mentioned that many have also been working in the state for decades, given that some residents have lived in Nagaland since 1979, spanning 45 years, and the necessity of obtaining an ILP seems unreasonable for those individuals.
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• Those who hold voter ID cards, are recognised as citizens of Nagaland, and possess Permanent Resident Certificates (PRCs) should be exempt from ILP requirements, he asserted.

Also read: Nagaland: Inner Line Permit regime extended to Dimapur, Niuland and Chümoukedima

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• He added that during a meeting with the deputy commissioner of Chümoukedima and later with the chief minister, he had shared the same suggestion: three senior individuals from each community be selected to certify individuals who have been residing in Nagaland for an extended period, ensuring their recognition as citizens of the state and for consideration of exemption from ILP registration.
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• According to him, the Marwari Samaj has submitted a letter to the deputy commissioner stating that the non-Naga communities have been staying in Nagaland since the 19th century, and like any other citizens of Nagaland, they have equally suffered and endured the impact of the unresolved Naga political issue.
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• They requested the government to acknowledge their contribution to the state with equal respect, especially the Marwari community, while inking the final draft of ILP, and consider their citizenship with equal respect and dignity.
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• They also requested that Indian citizens residing in Nagaland should be considered citizens of Nagaland, provided they can prove their Indian citizenship and show as proof their names in the voters’ list, at least in the district of Dimapur.
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• Another request was that the spouse of Dimapur residents, who are from different parts of India, should also have equal rights.
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• Reminding that Dimapur is not a fortified city and its porous boundaries will result in a regular infiltration problem, they stated that genuine citizens will suffer unnecessarily “while frisking.”
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• Citing the example of the European Ward in Shillong, they stated that non-Naga permanent citizens should have the right to purchase land in the municipal areas of Dimapur and any other rights like that of other respectable and legal citizens of the state.