Raphael Warjri

The Confederation of Meghalaya Social Organizations (CoMSO) staged a sudden protest in front of the Secretariat on Friday to express its strong opposition to the delay by the state government in implementing the Inner Line Permit (ILP) system in Meghalaya.

According to CoMSO, the absence of ILP has allowed unrestricted entry of outsiders into the state, citing the example of Raja Raghuvanshi from Indore—accused in a recent murder case in Sohra—whose presence could have been prevented if ILP was in place.

The organization also demanded the formation of Special Investigation Teams (SITs) in all districts to identify, apprehend, and deport illegal immigrants from Bangladesh and Myanmar.

CoMSO further stressed the urgent need to implement the Migrant Workers (Amendment) Bill, 2024, to regulate the influx of migrant laborers.

Speaking to the media, Roy Kupar Synrem, President of the Hynniewtrep Youth Council (HYC), noted that although the Meghalaya Legislative Assembly had unanimously passed a resolution on December 19, 2019, demanding ILP, the central government has yet to act on it. He argued that with ILP in place, the entry of outsiders would be monitored and recorded, as individuals would be required to submit their names and details before being allowed into the state. He added that had ILP already been enforced, state police could have been alerted to the exit of Sonam Raghuvanshi from Meghalaya.