Pro-ILP Activists Erect Unauthorized Check Gates in Meghalaya

Pro-ILP activists in Meghalaya have erected an unauthorized check gate in East Jaintia Hills district to prevent 'outsiders' from entering the state. The Khasi Students Union demands stricter anti-infiltration checks and the implementation of the Inner Line Permit (ILP) system in the northeastern state.

Pro-ILP activists in Meghalaya on Monday erected another check gate in the eastern part of East Jaintia Hills district connecting Assam, aiming to prevent 'outsiders' from entering the hill state.

A senior district official reported that the gate was set up without administrative authorization.

This move marks the third such installation by the activists, predominantly members of the influential Khasi Students Union (KSU).

The activists have called for enhanced police anti-infiltration measures and urged the central government to implement the Inner Line Permit (ILP) system in Meghalaya.

Notably, the ILP is a special permit required by residents of other parts of India to enter and stay in states like Arunachal Pradesh, Nagaland, Mizoram, and Manipur for a specified period.

“We have set up a gate at Umkiang to check outsiders' entry into the state,” a senior KSU leader in the district informed PTI.

The Meghalaya Assembly had passed a unanimous resolution in 2019 requesting the Centre to consider extending ILP to Meghalaya, yet it still awaits governmental approval.

The KSU leader highlighted the growing influx of outsiders over the past few years, prompting the KSU to take independent action.

The earlier check gates were erected at Pahammawlein in Ri-Bhoi district and Athiabari in West Khasi Hills.

Despite these check gates, the KSU claimed to have detected over 500 undocumented migrant labourers entering the state.

On July 11, a pro-ILP activist was arrested in Shillong for unauthorized document checks of migrant labourers in Meghalaya.

The KSU claimed that its members in the Khasi-Jaintia Hills region have expelled over 500 migrant labourers in the past two weeks.