The Hynniewtrep Youth Council (HYC) has expressed concern that the recent Supreme Court judgment, which upheld the constitutional validity of Section 6A of the Citizenship Act 1955, which recognized the Assam Accord.
According to HYC president, Roykupar Sunrem the Assam Accord is valid only for that state even as he stated that looking at Meghalaya with no protection from illegal immigrants.
“We don’t have ILP (Inner Line Permit), there is no NRC (National Register of Citizens), therefore as a group we feel that after the judgment, the government should know that as a state we need ILP,” Synrem said.
He said that if a person from Assam, feels that in that state he does not have a place since he came after the cut off year (after 1971), is not an Indian citizen and he should be deported.
According to him, many who enter Assam are from Bangladesh, even as he expresses concern that before such persons are departed to their country of origin, they may disappear and enter Meghalaya.
“These people cannot go to Arunachal Pradesh, Nagaland, Manipur, Mizoram since these states have ILP. What we fear is that such people may enter our state,” Synrem said.
The HYC president said that after seeing the Supreme Court judgment, the state government should take responsibility to force the central government to implement ILP in Meghalaya.
Secondly, the HYC said that they demand that the NRC should be implemented in the state since the state shares a border with Bangladesh even as he added that many Bangladeshis have entered the state illegally.
“We also demand that the cut off year for those entering the state should be 1971 which means that those coming after that year will be an illegal immigrant and such persons should be arrested and deported,” he added.
The Assam Accord created three categories of migrants – those who entered Assam before January 1, 1966, who would be deemed Indian citizens, those who arrived between January 1, 1966, and March 24, 1971 (the end of the Bangladesh Liberation War), who could claim citizenship but won’t be allowed to vote for 10 years and those arriving after March 25, 1971, who would be treated as illegal immigrants and deported.
Section 6A provided the legal framework for this arrangement, recognising the 1971 cut-off date for citizenship in Assam.
Synrem also added that the HYC is demanding to implement the Meghalaya Residents Safety and Security (Amendment) Act (MRSSA) of 2020 And not the 2016 version.
The HYC president said that the MRSSA, 2016 does not bar a person from entering the state, staying and working here.
He said that this Act of 2016 states that such persons have only to register as tenants with appropriate authorities.
“From the beginning we demanded that the amendment act of 2020 should be implemented,” he added.
The MRSSA of 2020 is currently with the Ministry of Home Affairs.
