Shillong, Dec 29: The Hynniewtrep Integrated Territorial Organization (HITO) has made an appeal to Assam chief minister Himanta Biswa Sarma, who is also chairman of the North East Democratic Alliance (NEDA), to demand for Inner Line Permit (ILP) system in the entire North‑East.
In a memorandum to Sarma submitted on Monday, HITO said in his capacity as NEDA chairman, he should to take the lead in demanding ILP for the region.
It referred to ILP coverage in Arunachal Pradesh, Nagaland, Mizoram, Manipur, and Sikkim (in the form of a Protected Area Permit), and said, “Given the present circumstances, it has become imperative to uniformly extend the ILP regime to Meghalaya and Assam as well.”
According to HITO, ILP coverage across the region would play a significant role in protecting 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,” HITO president Donbok Dkhar said in the memorandum.
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 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.
