North-east not dumping ground for illegal immigrants: NSF
The Naga Students' Federation (NSF), the apex students' body in Nagaland, has demanded the withdrawal of controversial Citizenship (Amendment) Bill 2016, saying the north-east cannot be a "dumping ground" for illegal immigrants. The NSF took out a protest rally in Kohima yesterday to press for the bill's scrapping. "The north-east is not a dumping ground for illegal Bangladeshis," NSF president Kesosul Christopher Ltu said.
The bill was introduced in Parliament in 2016
The NSF is part of the North East Students' Organization (NESO), an umbrella organization of different student unions in the region, which is opposed to the citizenship bill. The bill, introduced in Parliament in 2016, seeks to make Hindus, Sikhs, Buddhists, Jains, Parsis and Christians from Afghanistan, Bangladesh or Pakistan eligible for Indian citizenship after staying in the country for six years.
Illegal immigrants pose threat to social fabric of north-east: Ltu
Effigies of illegal immigrants and the bill were burnt by students during the protest rally. Ltu said all the north-eastern states were facing the problem of illegal immigration from Bangladesh, which posed a threat to the social fabric of the region and the demography of the states. "We've noticed disturbing machinations of the Union government to encourage further illegal immigration from Bangladesh," he said.
'We'll strongly resist creation of another Tripura in north-east'
"We will strongly resist the creation of another Tripura in the north-east," Ltu said, urging the Center to recognize the efforts of the student community to strengthen the nation's secular fabric. Ltu added the bill poses a threat to their culture and language.
NSF submitted letter to Nagaland government to curb the issue
The bill was a threat to the language, culture, and identity of the indigenous people of the north-east, said the NSF President, adding that the NESO and the people of the region would not accept it. The NSF had submitted a letter to the Nagaland government in August, urging it to strengthen the state's mechanism to curb the influx of illegal immigrants.
No report from state government yet on illegal immigrants: Ltu
The state government had assured the students' body that it would come out with an interim report on illegal immigrants within two months, but had not done so till date, Ltu said. NSF had also taken out rallies in April over Inner Line Permit (ILP).
Inner Line Permit allows access to protected-areas for limited period
NSF general secretary Imtiyapang said the organization had taken out a similar rally in Kohima and Dimapur in April, following a call by the NESO demanding the inclusion of Dimapur district under the purview of the ILP. The ILP is an official travel document issued by the government to allow inward travel of an Indian citizen into a protected/restricted area for a limited period.
