By Carmel Fedrick Malngiang
The issue of illegal immigration into our state and the Northeastern region of India as a whole, particularly from Bangladesh, is one of the greatest challenges within the region and has not yet been fully addressed or resolved to this day. This illegal infiltration by these immigrants from other places has transformed the way of life of the indigenous people, leading to many ethnic conflicts, and it has also affected and disrupted governance and administration throughout the entire region since earlier times. In recent days, we have seen that the Assam government has conducted surveys and even deported thousands of people who are not native residents of the state of Assam, and many of those who were deported are immigrants from Bangladesh. This deportation of thousands of immigrants from the state of Assam, many of whom are Bengali Muslims, has caused unrest and fear in the neighboring states within the Northeast region, including our state, as these immigrants who were evicted from Assam are moving to settle in other neighboring states. Let us briefly reflect on how this illegal settlement of these immigrants began in our state and the Northeast region of India as a whole.
The illegal settlement of people from outside our state and also into the Northeast region of India began during the time of British rule in India, where many people, mostly from the Bengali community, were brought to work in the tea gardens in Assam, and from there, they spread to various places in the neighboring areas of Northeast India which we called it today. The arrival and settlement of these immigrants intensified in the year 1971 due to the Bangladesh Liberation War of 1971, which was the war of independence for Bangladesh (East Pakistan at that time) from Pakistan. Lakhs of people from Bangladesh and Pakistan became immigrants during that time, and many of these immigrants eventually settled in various parts of the states in the Northeast region of India, including the state of Meghalaya. Furthermore, the majority of these immigrants went to settle in the states of Assam and Tripura, and some even obtained full citizenship status in India, and these immigrants have continued to multiply from one day to another. The settlement of these immigrants continues to persist even up to these present days. This is why the indigenous populations of the states in the Northeast region have started to feel threatened and have begun to seek ways and means to expel and deport these immigrants to prevent them from becoming a burden to the original inhabitants of the land in the future.
According to the findings of the National Register of Citizens (NRC) 2019 in the state of Assam, it was found that there are approximately 19 lakh people who are illegal immigrants, and many of them are Bengali Muslims from Bangladesh. Kiren Rijiju, one of the union ministers from the state of Arunachal Pradesh, stated that there are about 2 crore immigrants from Bangladesh across India. If we look at our own state, we see that it is not only these immigrants from Bangladesh who come to settled, but also many from other communities from various states of mainland India, such as Bihar, Rajasthan, Punjab, and others. The settlement of these non-indigenous people has brought many challenges to our state, as these non-native individuals have taken over jobs and opportunities, some places have been transformed into areas like Them Metor, they have altered the governance and administration, and they have even encroached upon leadership roles up to the level of village headmen, and this poses the greatest danger to our small indigenous community.
This is why, in the year 1979, the Anti-Foreigners Movement began in our Khasi land, particularly in Shillong. Prior to this, many places in Shillong were overrun by these immigrants, and resistance and efforts to protect the indigenous Khasi people began. Through this movement, it was possible to deport lakhs of immigrants who had come to settle as foreigners in our Khasi land. The implementation of the Citizenship Amendment Act 2019 by the Indian government is also one of the reasons that has encouraged and emboldened these immigrants from Pakistan, Bangladesh, and Afghanistan, who are not Muslims, and who arrived in India before December 31, 2014, to gain full citizenship status in India.
During British rule in India, which also included our Khasi land, it was observed that if these tribal communities living in these hilly places, which we now call the Northeastern region of India, did not have laws to protect them from the influx and settlement of people from outside, the time would come when these tribal communities would be overwhelmed by other larger communities, changing the character of their land. We can witness this in the state of Tripura, where the indigenous inhabitants now constitute only about 31% at most, while about 65% are Bengalis. Therefore, when the British observed all these things, it established a law known as the Eastern Bengal Frontier Regulation 1873, or what we call the Inner Line Permit (ILP). This law serves to regulate and restrict the entry and settlement of other communities into these hilly areas of the Northeastern region of India. The areas included under this law, known as the Eastern Bengal Frontier Regulation 1873, are the Khasi & Jaintia Hills, Naga Hills, Lushai Hills, and others. This law remains in force to this day in the states of Nagaland, Mizoram, Arunachal Pradesh, and recently in Manipur. What is regrettable is that this law was never implemented in our state, even though the term “Khasi & Jaintia Hills” was included in the preamble of the EBFR 1873 since its inception. What is even more regrettable is that the Government of India deleted the term “Khasi & Jaintia Hills” from the preamble of the EBFR 1873 in the year 2019.
Amidst these events, we see that our leaders, both from the ruling side to the opposition, have not taken this critical issue seriously, despite it being ongoing for the past years. When I say this, I don’t mean to point fingers only at today’s leaders, but also at those from the past who made no difference. Their love for their community was apparent only during elections, and once the election is over, that sense of patriotism also seemed to vanish. Why do I say this? Because during elections, these people make all sorts of promises, but after the elections, those promises disappear, and many issues are left unresolved. Similarly, if we look at the leaders in the opposition, from the past to the present, during their time in opposition, they roar as if they could challenge a tiger if they met one, but these same people, who roared in the past, once they are in power, show no difference from those who were in power before them.
This is what is most regrettable and what the public continues to be misled and deceived about to this day. If the Assam government is capable and willing, why then does the Meghalaya government giving excuses? Is it because they fear those in power in Delhi, or for some other reason? Furthermore, the Meghalaya government is eagerly pushing to bring the railway into Khasi and Jaiñtia Hills. Yes, it is not wrong to aspire to bring the railway, but bringing the railway without laws to regulate the entry of outsiders into the state is like digging our own grave. With the strong opposition from pressure groups like the KSU, the intention to bring the railway into Khasi land has been halted. There have been various objections raised by different groups and individuals, saying that the opposition to the railway by some pressure groups is because they were advised by outsiders or Marwaris to disrupt the transportation and trade of the local people in our state. However, they do not realize that these outsiders are eagerly trying to bring the railway into our Khasi land so that it benefits their transportation and trade. Let me give a small example of why some pressure groups and individuals oppose bringing the railway into our Khasi land without proper laws. The railway is one of the cheapest means of transportation that is most accessible when compared to cars or airplanes.
Dimapur, which is one of the districts in the state of Nagaland and also has a railway station, has now become a hub for illegal settlers, where lakhs of illegal settlers have come to establish permanent settlements in Dimapur. The main reason for the permanent settlement of these illegal settlers in Dimapur is the presence of the railway, which facilitates their movement, and also because the Inner Line Permit (ILP) is not effectively enforced in this district, even though it is enforced in other districts of Nagaland. Organizations in Nagaland, such as the Naga Students Federation (NSF), Dimapur Naga Students Union (DNSU), and others, have raised demands similar to those of organizations in Khasi land, calling for the enforcement of the Inner Line Permit (ILP) in Dimapur to regulate the influx of illegal settlers who intend to permanently settle in the lands of the indigenous inhabitants. Thus, the opposition to the railway by organizations in Khasi land is justified and well-founded.
To regulate and reduce the illegal settlement of these immigrants in our state, we need cooperation from village councils, youth organizations, pressure groups, contractors, the state government and the District Councils. The most effective and powerful way to control the illegal settlement of these immigrants is through the Village Councils (Dorbar Shnong). In our state, particularly in Khasi and Jaiñtia Hills, the Village Councils, Raid Councils, and Hima Councils are the most authoritative entities when it comes to those in power exercising their authority. Even before the government implements any development projects or initiatives, it cannot proceed without the approval or obtain the No Objection Certificate (NOC) from the Village Councils and Hima Councils. Therefore, the Village Councils (Durbar Shnong) and Hima Councils (Durbar Hima) also have the authority to create various regulations within their respective villages and himas to restrict the entry of outsiders. I believe that if the Village Councils and Hima Councils exercise their authority and diligently carry out the responsibilities entrusted to them, we would not need to wait for government laws to protect against the influx and illegal settlement of outsiders.
The Village Councils (Dorbar Shnong) and Hima Councils are the spear and the strongest shield that have existed in our Khasi tradition since time immemorial to protect the nation in many aspects, but often we see that this spear and shield have been left to rust to the point of being nearly useless. Similarly, those individuals who implement various projects or contractors are also among those involved in the infiltration of these illegal settlers or infiltrators. Often, I have observed with my own eyes that there are contractors who bring in workers from outside who lack proper documentation, such as Work Permits and Labour Licenses, and even among these outside workers, some do not even have a single Identity Card. This truly surprises me to the extent that I wonder how these contractors dare to bring in such people who do not even have a single document to prove they are from which community or state. Of course we cannot prevent the hiring of outside workers, especially for major projects, but contractors who undertake such projects should not simply bring in these outside workers just because they are cheaper. They must follow the regulations set by the government, such as the Inter-State Migrant Workmen Act, which is crucial for outside workers. They must also ensure that once these outside workers complete their tasks, they return to their place of origin.
On the other hand, the government is also one of the stakeholders that has the strongest authority to regulate and protect against the influx and settlement of outsiders by creating various stringent laws to control and restrict the free entry and settlement of outsiders. The government also has the authority to command and enforce its forces to carefully monitor and thoroughly check the entry and exit of outsiders. The Meghalaya Resident Safety and Security Act (MRSSA) 2016 is one of the laws established by the state government to regulate and control the permanent settlement of outsiders. However, it is regrettable that this law has remained only on paper, even though the government has announced that it has implemented it. The reason is that there has been no clear explanation to village leaders regarding this law. Instead, it was only communicated through letters and notifications to various village leaders, instructing them to act accordingly without any clear guidance or direction from the government. There are village leaders who, even to this day, are unaware of what the MRSSA is and how this law functions.
Some pressure groups , along with the support of the Khasi public, have demanded the enforcement of the Eastern Bengal Frontier Regulation (EBFR) 1873, or Inner Line Permit (ILP), for almost four decades now, but it is regrettable that this demand has not been fulfilled even to this day. When we discuss and examine the reasons, we find that there are many obstacles, and we also see that the Government of India is not serious or committed to listening to the voice of the Khasi people. As I have pointed out earlier, the term “Khasi & Jaintia Hills” was included in the preamble of the EBFR 1873, but this law has not been effectively enforced in our state as it has been in states like Nagaland and Mizoram. Therefore, amidst all these challenges, what is most crucial and necessary for us is to have unity and cooperation among ourselves including the pressure groups or CSOs, village youth organisations, Village Councils (Dorbar Shnong), Hima Councils (Dorbar Hima), and Raid Councils (Dorbar Raid), as well as the legal authorities and the government, so that we can effectively regulate the influx and permanent settlement of infiltrators and illegal settlers in our beloved Khasi land. Not only that, but the government must also create pathways and establish effective laws to control the influx and settlement of outsiders.
