3 N-E ‘inner line’ states may be out of CAB purview

Guwahati: In a clear move aimed at dividing northeastern states, at least three hill states having the Inner Line Permit (ILP) system may be exempted from the purview of the Citizenship (Amendment) Bill.

Though the CAB issue did not figure at the meeting of the business advisory committee of the Lok Sabha, a delegation of senior BJP MPs from Northeast states, which met Union home minister Amit Shah, claimed they had been assured the CAB will not be applicable in Arunachal Pradesh, Nagaland and Mizoram, which have the Inner Line Permit (ILP) system. These states come under the Bengal Eastern Frontier Regulation (BEFR) 1873, under which Indian nationals from other parts of the country have to possess an ILP to visit temporarily.

Pleading anonymity, a BJP MP from the region said they had met the home minister to apprise him about the anguish of people over the bill. The proposed exemption for Arunachal Pradesh, Nagaland and Mizoram from the CAB may also trigger a fresh controversy as many states of the region have been agitating for an ILP system.

In 2018, the Manipur Assembly passed the Manipur People’s Protection Bill that seeks to expel people who or whose forefathers were not living in the state before 1951. In order to quell the growing demand for the ILP, the Meghalaya government recently passed an ordinance making
registration on entry mandatory for visitors who intend to spend more than 24 hours in the state. The ordinance will become an amendment to the Meghalaya Residents Safety and Security Act 2016, which was previously applicable only to tenants from outside the state. Under the law, “entry-exit points” will be set up along the border with Assam, the only state with which Meghalaya shares an internal border.

The CAB, which has generated much heat in the region, proposes to provide relief to those who have fled neighbouring countries like Bangladesh, Pakistan and Afghanistan because of religious persecution. Sources engaged in process said the government was working on the bill and the Centre is considering introduction of the Overseas Indian Card (OIC) in the bill for the Hindu Bengalis and others who apply for citizenship under the CAB. There is also a proposal to change the cut-off date. The cut-off date in the last bill was December 31, 2014. Sources did not rule out the possibility of another round of consultations on the Citizenship (Amendment) Bill, which is set to lead to huge protests across the region.