HT DIGITAL
SHILLONG, JULY 5: The Hynniewtrep Integrated Territorial Organization (HITO), a leading pressure group in Meghalaya, has petitioned Union Home Minister Amit Shah in writing through a memorandum calling for the immediate extension of the Inner Line Permit (ILP) system to the entire state. The group mentioned increasing dangers to internal security, changes in demography, and perceived infiltration along the India-Bangladesh border as major issues that call for urgent measures.
In its lengthy letter, HITO threatened of “scurrilous geopolitical developments” that can destabilize the region. The organization pointed out recent ceasefire agreements along the India-Pakistan western front and alleged that intelligence reports indicate an uptick in infiltration from Bangladesh—purportedly supported by Pakistan’s Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI). These developments, HITO contended, necessitate an enhancement of border control measures in the Northeast.
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The memorandum also charged that the infiltration into Meghalaya is sometimes made possible by cash inducements. “The increasing incidence of illegal infiltrations into Meghalaya—allegedly facilitated through cash inducements—raises serious questions,” the group said. HITO warned that such operations have the potential to dent India’s sovereignty and even create avenues for the set-up of sleeper cells and terror networks.
HITO also brought up the problem of identity fraud, asserting that thousands of intruders have apparently acquired counterfeit Aadhaar and EPIC (Electors Photo Identity Cards) to avail themselves of welfare benefits in an illegal manner and blend into the native populace. The organization referred to a recent murder in Sohra, supposedly committed by non-locals from Madhya Pradesh, as an instance of the increasing perils. Describing the event as “avoidable,” HITO highlighted the immediate necessity of more robust regulatory systems.
Reaffirming its age-old call for the adoption of the ILP system—already in place in states like Mizoram, Nagaland, and Arunachal Pradesh—HITO contended that the problem has now crossed the threshold of culture and become a national security issue. “The necessity of putting in place ILP in Meghalaya is not only a question of protecting culture but is now a strategic imperative in the name of national security,” the letter underlined.
The group listed a number of advantages of adopting the ILP system under the Bengal Eastern Frontier Regulation Act of 1873. ILP would, as per HITO, help to:
1. Intensify border security through control over unchecked entry.
2. Protect indigenous groups and maintain demographic balance.
3. Identify and thwart anti-national forces and sleeper cells.
4. Intensify national measures to counter cross-border terrorism and infiltration.
HITO sealed the memorandum with a call for urgent action on the part of the central government, in coordination with the state government and local authorities, to safeguard the demographic integrity and cultural identity of the state. “We have faith in your leadership and sense of commitment to the unity and integrity of India,” the letter closed.
