NE STATES STEP UP SECURITY TO BLOCK ASSAM’S ‘ILLEGALS’
GUWAHATI: The publication of the final draft of Assam’s National Register of Citizens (NRC), which left out four million applicants, has put many north-eastern states on the edge and prompted them to reinforce security on the borders to prevent infiltration. While Manipur has taken measures to prevent the entry of those deemed illegal, Nagaland, Tripura and Meghalaya are demanding their own versions of NRC to identify and deport illegal immigrants.
GUWAHATI: This week’s publication of the final draft of Assam’s National Register of Citizens (NRC), which left out four million applicants, has put many northeastern states on the edge and prompted them to reinforce security on the borders to prevent infiltration.
While Manipur has taken measures to prevent the entry into the state of those deemed illegal, Nagaland, Tripura and Meghalaya are demanding their own versions of the NRC to identify and deport illegal immigrants. The North East Students Organisation (NESO), the region’s biggest student body, wants NRC to be extended to all states in the region.
“We have seen the quantum of the problem in Assam and this should not spill over to other states,” NESO chairman Samuel Jyrwa said.
The Assam NRC draft left out the names of four million of the 32.9 million residents of Assam who had applied for inclusion. The final list will be released at a later date once all claims and objections of those left out are settled, but states in regions bordering Assam are already jittery about the possible fallout.
MANIPUR
In Manipur, the Bharatiya Janata Party (Bjp)-led state government formed two committees, at the state level and in districts, on Thursday, to monitor the entry or presence of illegal immigrants in the state following the publication of the final draft of the NRC for Assam on Monday.
Chief minister N Biren Singh told a press conference that the committee will initiate steps for the verification of illegal immigrants in Manipur with immediate effect. “The state government has opened a police check post at Imphal airport since Monday to prevent entry of illegal migrants. Similar steps have also been taken at entry points like Jiribam, Mao and Tamenglong railhead,” he said.
NAGALAND
The state’s home department has issued an advisory to municipal, town and village committees to keep tabs on the entry of people from outside the state following the NRC draft publication.
Since there are restrictions on entry into Nagaland similar to those in Arunachal Pradesh, the government wants residents to promptly notify district administrations and police about any “unusual influx of outsiders”.
The state’s Nationalist Democratic Progressive Party-led government, of which the BJP is a part, is contemplating an NRC survey for the state as illegal migration is becoming a major issue.
ARUNACHAL
On Thursday, the All Arunachal Pradesh Students Union (AAPSU), the state’s apex student body, issued an ultimatum to all non-apsts (people who are not Arunachal Pradesh Scheduled Tribe residents) without valid documents to leave the state by August 16.
As per the rules, Indian citizens need to have an inner line permit (ILP) to visit or stay in the state, which borders China, and foreigners need to have a restricted area permit (RAP).
Wary about presence the of illegal migrants in Arunachal Pradesh following the publication of the Assam NRC draft, the students body plans to launch an ‘Operative Clean Drive’ from August 17 against Indians and foreigners staying in the state illegally.
“We surveyed the border areas of the state and found that nearly 50,000 people, many of whose names didn’t appear in the NRC first draft released on December 31 last year, have entered illegally in the past three to four months,” said AAPSU convener Tatung Taga.
“Since there are restrictions for entry into our state and presence of illegal migrants could create law and order problems, we are requesting them to either get ILPS before the deadline or leave Arunachal Pradesh,” he added.
MEGHALAYA
In Meghalaya, a delegation of the Khasi Students Union (KSU) met deputy chief minister Prestone Tynsong on Wednesday and sought an Nrc-like exercise for the state to protect the rights of its indigenous tribes.
On Tuesday, a day after the Assam NRC draft was made public, activists of KSU set up three check points at areas bordering Assam to detect illegal immigrants and prevent their entry.
Reports say nearly 1,000 people with “questionable antecedents” were detected. The check points have since been dismantled, but the administration is maintaining a strict vigil at border points against infiltrators.
TRIPURA
In Tripura, while chief minister Biplab Deb has ruled out the need for an NRC, the Bjp-led government’s ally, Indigenous Peoples Front of Tripura (IPFT), wants such an exercise.
“We observe August 23 every year as the day to reiterate our demand for a separate Tipraland. This year, at a grand rally to mark the day at Khumulwung, we will also press for NRC in our state,” IPFT vice-president Ananta Debbarma said.