IMPHAL, June 24: The Federation of Regional Indigenous Societies (FRIENDS) today appealed to all the non-Manipuri in the state not to mistaken the demand for implementation of Inner Line Permit System as a move to drive out them from Manipur.
FRIENDS asserted that there is no any sort of term mentioned in the Inner Line Permit System to drive out outsiders from a particular state in the country. But, it is a regulation laid down by the government of India to enable the ethnic minorities to protect their own rights.
This is the only mechanism for the state of Manipur to desist from communal violence that has been witnessed in Myanmar, Sri Lanka, Maharashtra, Assam and Tripura, FRIENDS maintained in a statement.
It will also be a great help in maintaining law and order in the state by registering all the non-Manipuri in government record, it added. This mechanism will further become a huge resource of the state government.
Now, the total population of non-Manipuri in the state has increased at 704488 while the indigenous tribal population is 670782 and that of the Meitei, the major community is 751822 which outnumbered the non-Manipuri population by only 47,000 FRIENDS informed.
Appealing to all the non-Manipuri to stage sit-in protest on the demand of implementation of Inner Line Permit System in the state and also to approve it in the upcoming Assembly Session, FRIENDS once again called upon them to help bring peace and harmony in the state.