KSU to step up pro-ILP stir

SHILLONG, Dec 28: The Khasi Students’ Union will soon take a call on how to take the movement for the implementation of the Inner Line Permit (ILP) in the state forward.
KSU president Lambokstar Marngar said the COVID-19 pandemic had affected the pro-ILP movement for more than a year. “We have had consultations with the Syiem, headmen and Dorbar for continuing with the movement. They also want the ILP in Meghalaya,” he said.
Marngar said the Centre’s stock response of “we are examining the matter” indicated its step-motherly attitude. “Why can’t Meghalaya get ILP when Manipur could?” he asked.Stating that New Delhi should apply the same yardstick, Marngar said: “We are not demanding a separate flag and a separate constitution but the ILP which is within the purview of the Constitution of India and if implemented, will protect the indigenous people of the state.”
He hoped the Centre would listen to the ILP demand without the need for the people of Meghalaya to be aggressive.
On the High Court of Meghalaya’s observation that a government order regulating the entry of Indian citizens may not be exercised, Marngar said the state government is duty-bound to reply to the court.
“But we will keep pressuring the state government for a mechanism to be in place,” he said.
The entry-exit gate was one such mechanism the pressure groups had demanded, he added.
A division bench comprising Chief Justice Sanjib Banerjee and Justice W. Diengdoh had made the observation a few days ago after hearing a PIL challenging the constitutional validity of the entry-exit gates in the state.