Shillong: The Khasi Students’ Union (KSU) on Thursday reiterated its long-standing demand for the implementation of the Inner Line Permit (ILP) in Meghalaya during a meeting with Union Home Minister Amit Shah following the 73rd Plenary Session of the North Eastern Council held in Shillong.
The KSU delegation, which included former president Lambokstar Marngar, president Raymond Kharjana and general secretary Reuben A. Najiar, submitted a memorandum highlighting three key issues — implementation of ILP in Meghalaya, the interstate border dispute with Assam, and the inclusion of the Khasi language in the Eighth Schedule of the Constitution.
Members of the Khasi Authors’ Society also met the Union Home Minister and raised the issue of granting constitutional recognition to the Khasi language.
Earlier in the day, KSU members staged protests at various locations during temporary road closures for the movement of VIPs and VVIPs attending the NEC plenary session. Protesters displayed placards and raised slogans demanding immediate implementation of ILP in the state. Banners were put up at strategic locations, including Umiam, Polo and Mawlai ISBT.
The placards carried messages such as, “ILP is the only solution to stop illegal immigration,” “ILP is not anti-development,” and “ILP is our right to protect ourselves.”
Speaking to reporters after the meeting, KSU general secretary Reuben A. Najiar said the delegation informed the Home Minister that ILP remains a long-pending demand of the people of Meghalaya.
“We addressed the Union Home Minister that ILP has been a long-pending demand of the people of Meghalaya. With the recent developments in West Bengal and Assam, where there have been mass eviction drives against illegal immigrants, many of these individuals are not returning to Bangladesh but are instead settling elsewhere. Meghalaya currently does not have any law to protect itself from such illegal immigration,” Najiar said.
He argued that the implementation of ILP was necessary to safeguard the indigenous Khasi, Jaintia and Garo communities.
On the border issue, the KSU expressed concern over recent developments in disputed areas, particularly Lapangap. Najiar alleged that Assam had acted as an aggressor in certain disputed locations where status quo was expected to be maintained.
“We informed the Home Minister that recent incidents have raised concerns about Assam not adhering to the spirit of maintaining peace in disputed areas. In response, the Home Minister assured us that the matter concerns two states, but if the Union Government finds that the issue is not being addressed through the proper channels, it will intervene,” he said.
Regarding the demand for inclusion of the Khasi language in the Eighth Schedule, Najiar said the Home Minister informed the delegation that the matter was under active consideration.
According to the KSU leader, Shah indicated that the Centre may constitute a committee, potentially comprising retired Supreme Court judges, to examine the inclusion of several languages seeking recognition under the Eighth Schedule.
When asked whether the meeting had been fruitful, Najiar adopted a cautious stance.
“As a union, our responsibility is to place the concerns and aspirations of the people before the government. Whether these demands are implemented depends on both the state and central governments,” he said.
Najiar noted that the KSU has been campaigning for ILP for several years through protests, agitations and awareness programmes aimed at protecting the indigenous population of Meghalaya.
“Ultimately, it is for the Centre to decide whether ILP should be granted or not. However, we remain hopeful. We saw Manipur receive ILP in 2019, and we believe Meghalaya will also be granted ILP in the coming months or years,” he added.
The meeting came amid renewed public discourse on immigration, border concerns and the preservation of indigenous identity, issues that continue to occupy a prominent place in Meghalaya’s political landscape.