Shillong, Dec 29: The Hynniewtrep Integrated Territorial Organisation (HITO) has written to Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sharma urging him to advocate for extending the Inner Line Permit (ILP) system to the entire North East region.
The letter cites recent remarks by Bangladesh’s interim leader Muhammad Yunus, claiming Bangladesh is the “guardian of the ocean” for North East India’s land-locked states and referencing India’s Siliguri Corridor (the so-called Chicken’s Neck), as a concern for India’s sovereignty.
Given Bangladesh’s political instability and illegal immigration concerns in the North East, HITO urged extending ILP to Meghalaya and Assam, strengthening protection for indigenous peoples, land and culture.
Although the pressure group admitted that ILP is not a complete solution, it feels the permit system would help regulate and monitor illegal immigration. The organisation expressed a hope that Sharma will push this agenda as chairman of the Bharatiya Janata Party-led North East Democratic Alliance.
