SHILLONG, DEC 29 : The Hynniewtrep Integrated Territorial Organization (HITO) has urged Chairman of the North East Democratic Alliance (NEDA) and Assam chief minister Himanta Biswa Sarma to demand the Centre for immediate extension of the Inner Line Permit (ILP) system to the entire North‑East.
“…we respectfully urge you, in your capacity as the Chairman of the North East Democratic Alliance (NEDA), to take the lead in demanding the extension of the Inner Line Permit (ILP) under the Bengal Eastern Frontier Regulation, 1873 to the entire North East region,” HITO president Donbok Dkhar said in the memorandum submitted to Sarma on Monday.
Noting that at present, ILP is applicable and mandatory in five States, namely Arunachal Pradesh, Nagaland, Mizoram, Manipur, and Sikkim (in the form of a Protected Area Permit), Dkhar said, “Given the present circumstances, it has become imperative to uniformly extend the ILP regime to Meghalaya and Assam as well, and strengthen its framework across the region, so as to protect the indigenous peoples, their land, identity, and cultural heritage. While we recognise that ILP is not a complete solution to infiltration and illegal immigration, it will certainly act as an important regulatory mechanism to partially control, monitor, and check the movement of illegal foreigners into the North East.”
The HITO has expressed “deep concern” over recent remarks by Bangladesh’s interim head Muhammad Yunus, who reportedly claimed that Bangladesh is the “only guardian of the ocean” for India’s seven land‑locked North‑Eastern states and repeatedly referenced the strategic Siliguri Corridor (the Chicken Neck). The statement is described as “misleading, objectionable and inimical to India’s sovereignty and national interest.”
The memorandum stated that such rhetoric is “provocative and strategically imprudent,” especially given Bangladesh’s own narrow “chicken necks.”
Citing the current political instability in Bangladesh and the frequent detection of illegal Bangladeshi nationals across several North‑Eastern states, the organisation warned that the situation raises “serious security, demographic, and socio‑political concerns” for the region.
