Kohima: The Inner Line Permit (ILP) regime is facing intense scrutiny. Officials and activists met at a two-day national seminar organized by the Inner Line Regulation Commission-Naga Students' Federation (ILRC-NSF) in Dimapur on August 28 to debate its future. The system currently functions like a visa for Indian citizens who are not indigenous to states under the 1873 Bengal Eastern Frontier Regulation.
Home Commissioner Abhijit Sinha addressed the crowd. He highlighted the shift to a digital application process to speed up turnaround times. Enforcement remains a struggle. Dimapur is a transit hub with rail, air, and road connections to Manipur and Assam. Sinha asked hoteliers and homeowners to help report non-indigenous arrivals to officials. He warned against making the process too tight, stating, "It’s only a regulatory mechanism, we are not creating any barriers."
The government recently adjusted the rules. In September 2024, officials created three categories for non-indigenous residents in Dimapur. Those settled before December 1, 1963, and those arriving between that date and November 21, 1979, are now exempt from the permit. Anyone arriving after November 21, 1979, must obtain one. The Gauhati High Court upheld the state's power to extend these rules on June 16, 2024.
Critics want a stricter approach. ILRC-NSF Chairperson Senchumo NSN Lotha called the current system "facilitative" rather than effective. He presented RTI data showing a massive enforcement gap. Kohima issued 226,563 permits between 2003 and 2020 but recorded zero prosecutions and only 36 deportations. Mokokchung issued 25,000 permits and collected Rs 47,37,403 in revenue without a single record of penalization.
Samujjal Bhattacharyya of the North East Students' Organisation and All Assam Students' Union pushed for wider implementation. He wants both the ILP and a National Register of Citizens across the Northeast to combat migration. He noted, "ILP is not a prohibition, it's a regulation." He argued that Assam has been treated unfairly compared to states like Manipur, which received the permit system after the 2019 Citizenship Amendment Act.
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