At least nine persons, including government officials, have been taken into custody for their involvement in a fraud related to the issuing of Inner Line Permit (ILP) cards in Manipur. According to Manipur Chief Minister N Biren Singh, this constitutes a significant swindle that could complicate matters further for the indigenous population.
The ILP scam allegedly entailed the issue of about 3,500 fictitious ILP cards meant for labour permits and involved five separate locations throughout the state. A representative from the District Collector’s office and a lower division clerk from the Labor Department were among those detained.
Speaking with the media in Imphal, Chief Minister Biren Singh expressed his profound concern over the purported scam and said that a Special Investigation Team (SIT) had been formed to thoroughly investigate the subject due to concerns that high-ranking officials and businesses were involved.
“Only authorities of the level of DCs and Labour Commissioners are authorised by the Manipur Government to issue ILP cards. But once the fraud was discovered, it was discovered that a number of unapproved employees were also providing ILPs to anonymous individuals without the necessary verification.” stated CM Biren Singh. “With the initial inquiry, it was discovered that the five establishments that were raided and where arrests were made were responsible for issuing of almost 3,500 illegal ILPs. Some important items , including laptops and PCs, were seized during the raid,” he continued.
Significant evidence was found during Manipur Police’s raids at five different locations: a computer centre at Babupara DC Bungalow, a mobile repair business at Kakulong, a mobile shop at Thangal Bazar, a reception counter at RIMS Road, and a computer centre at Namdulong. Documents related to almost 3,500 illegally issued ILP cards were found by the police, revealing a well-planned scheme to trick the authorities and take advantage of the ILP system.
What is ILP?
An official travel document issued by the State Government, the Manipur Inner Line Permit (ILP), permits Indian nationals to visit the picturesque state of Manipur for a predetermined amount of time.
In December 2019, the Centre extended the Manipur ILP system. Manipur became the fourth North Eastern State to implement the ILP rule on January 1, 2020, following Arunachal Pradesh, Mizoram, and Nagaland. During the British administration, ILP was implemented in accordance with the “Bengal Eastern Frontier Regulation, 1873.” It limits “outsiders'” access to the state without authorisation. But in 1950, the system was removed from Manipur. The ILP controls the flow of immigrants while preserving the state’s indigenous population’s culture, identity, traditions, and demographic makeup. 1961 has been designated as the basic year for establishing the “native” status for the implementation of inner line permits (ILPs) in Manipur, in accordance with the ILP rule.
“To protect the indigenous population, the Union Government, led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah, gave the ILP. It would be a disservice to this laudable goal to fail to maintain its integrity “, CM Biren Singh mentioned.
The Chief Minister emphasised that certain officials disregarded the required base year of December 31, 1961, which establishes eligibility for ILPs, highlighting the gaps in the execution of ILP legislation. “The current problem has been greatly exacerbated by this careless execution. We have to take this very seriously,” CM Singh declared. All police stations have received warnings with photos of the alleged holders of phone ILP cards in reaction to the discovery. The Chief Minister offered those responsible an opportunity to make amends on their own initiative and urged them to turn themselves in order to avoid facing legal repercussions. CM Singh imposed strict regulations on all of these counters in the state in order to bolster the effectiveness of ILP administration in Manipur.
The Manipur CM is slated to visit the national capital for a three-day tour to attend official engagements. On the onset of his visit, CM Biren Singh is likely to meet PM Narendra Modi and home minister Amit Shah. Sources said that CM Singh will discuss the ILP matter with the union home minister to make it watertight in the future so that it could benefit the future of the Indigenous people of the troubled state.
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