Nagaland’s Inner Line Permit (ILP) regime and its enforcement took centre stage at a two-day national seminar on the Bengal Eastern Frontier Regulation (BEFR), 1873, organised by the Inner Line Regulation Commission–Naga Students’ Federation (ILRC-NSF) at Town Hall, Dimapur, on August 28. Home Commissioner Abhijit Sinha and North East Students’ Organisation (NESO) and All Assam Students’ Union (AASU) chief advisor Samujjal Bhattacharyya were among the speakers debating the legal foundations, ground realities and socio-economic implications of the permit system.
The ILRC-NSF said the seminar aimed to “bring together different bodies of knowledge and experience” to examine both the law and how the Inner Line regime functions on the ground. Stakeholders from student bodies, government and civil society discussed enforcement gaps, exemptions and the wider political context of the ILP across northeastern states.
In his inaugural address, Home Commissioner Abhijit Sinha outlined the state’s shift to a digitised ILP system, saying online registration has shortened application turnaround times. He urged citizens-particularly hoteliers and homeowners-to cooperate by reporting arrivals who are not indigenous to the state, and acknowledged enforcement in Dimapur is especially challenging because the district is a transport hub with a railway head, an airport and transit traffic to Manipur.
The state extended the ILP to the then-undivided Dimapur district on December 9, 2019. In September 2024 the government introduced exemptions in Dimapur classifying non-indigenous residents into three categories: those settled before December 1, 1963; those settled between December 1, 1963 and November 21, 1979 (both exempted); and those who arrived after November 21, 1979, who must obtain ILP.
Sinha cited a Gauhati High Court judgment of June 16, 2024, upholding the state’s power to extend the ILP, but cautioned against over-restriction. “It’s only a regulatory mechanism, we are not creating any barriers,” he said, adding that making access too difficult “would impact the economic growth of the state.”
ILRC-NSF chairperson Senchumo NSN Lotha described Nagaland’s current enforcement as “facilitative” and therefore ineffective, and urged a shift to a more “regimental” model akin to Mizoram’s. He noted the ILP’s origins as a colonial instrument that later became a protective tool for Nagas and was incorporated into the 16-point memorandum.
Using Right to Information data, Lotha highlighted enforcement shortfalls: in Kohima district, 226,563 ILPs were issued between 2003 and 2020 with no records of prosecution and only 36 deportations; Mokokchung reportedly issued 25,000 permits and collected Rs 4,737,403 in revenue with no records of penalisation or deportation. He also pointed to coordination gaps between the state Commissioner’s office and district Deputy Commissioners.
Samujjal Bhattacharyya called for implementation of both the ILP and a National Register of Citizens (NRC) across the entire Northeast, describing undocumented migration as “a threat to our identity.” He said the CAA 2019 exemption for Sixth Schedule and ILP-covered states acts as a safeguard, but criticised the Union government for exempting Assam from ILP while extending permits to Manipur. “ILP is not a prohibition, it’s a regulation,” he said.
Original Source: https://www.morungexpress.com/is-inner-line-regime-regulatory-or-protectionist
Category: Nagaland
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Publish Date: 2026-08-28 22:58:00
