IMPHAL, June 8: The 28 volunteers of the Joint Committee on Inner Line Permit System including student leaders who were picked up by the police yesterday for their involvement in the present agitations including checking of entry of non-locals into the state along the National Highways have been released today without any conditions.
Democratic Students’ Alliance of Manipur, DESAM vice president and the convenor of the JCILPS students wing told media persons today that the 28 volunteers have been released this noon without registering any case against them.
He was addressing the media at the DESAM office at Keishampat.
The 28 volunteers were picked up by the police from their respective organization offices in Imphal East and West districts for their involvement in the agitations demanding Inner Line Permit system in the state since June 1, he said.
Meanwhile, elaborating on the agitation, he said the first phase has been quite successful with the committee and its volunteers managing to bar entry of non-locals without proper identification into the state through the inter-state taxis and passenger vehicles plying along the national highways.
He continued the second phase of agitation which is checking of non-locals residing in the localities without proper verification and of non-cooperation to them has already started since June 6.
He lamented the state government and the state police for arresting the agitators, while citing that the agitators were only taking up democratic forms of agitation to safeguard the rights of the indigenous people of the state.
He condemned the statement of the government that the agitation is anti-national.
The agitation is democratic in the sense that the safeguarding of rights of the indigenous people is provided by the Indian Constitution, he said.
He questioned the central and the state governments on why the ILP system which is very much implemented in the neighbouring states of Nagaland, Mizoram and Arunachal Pradesh cannot be implemented in Manipur.
Arresting ILP agitators will not bring any solution, but it will only invite more intensive forms of agitation in the state, he said while appealing to the state MLAs and Minister to the issue in the top priority and to discuss it during the upcoming Assembly session.
He further appealed to all sections of the society to take up non co-operation movement against the non-Manipuris in their respective localities and also appealed to the state government to implement ILP system in the state at the earliest.