CORRESPONDENT
SHILLONG: The Hynniewtrep Youth Council (HYC) has demanded urgent action from the Meghalaya government to curb illegal immigration, citing serious threats to the indigenous population’s political and economic rights.
HYC president Roykupar Synrem expressed deep concern over recent reports of increasing cross-border movement, stating, “For the past few weeks the HYC has received information from sources and people residing along the border that there has been a lot of movement of people from Bangladesh entering Indian territory.”
Referring to Union Home Minister Amit Shah’s statement on infiltrators entering India through West Bengal using valid documents, Synrem warned, “If these people can get EPIC, Aadhaar or Pan Card from West Bengal or Assam or any other state, then they can easily enter Meghalaya, and once they come here, they will reside, and after sometime they will become the residents of the state.”
“We don’t want that to happen, and therefore, we call upon the state government to take the issue of influx very seriously. If steps are not taken, we fear that a day will come when these people will get residency in the state of Meghalaya, become voters, and get all rights and privileges as citizens, and when they become a majority, our political rights and economic rights will be at stake,” he asserted.
Synrem also revealed that the Confederation of Meghalaya Social Organisations (COMSO) had written to the Chief Minister seeking updates on the status of the Inner Line Permit (ILP) and the Meghalaya Residents Safety and Security Act (MRSSA) amendment bill, 2020, but “to date they are yet to get any reply from him.”
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