Confusion over ILP triggers protest in next-door Assam

Our Reporter
Dimapur, March 1 (EMN): Confusion and misunderstanding over Inner Line Permit (ILP) led to disorder among the public in neighbouring Assam, leading to protest and agitation as hundreds of people protested at the New Field check post in Dimapur-Lahorijan border on Sunday.

The hour-long protest came after Nagaland police had ‘arrested’ five ILP defaulters, ‘for questioning’, and subsequently released on ‘mutual understanding’.

According to police sources, the protest happened at around 3 pm after the five ILP defaulters from Nagaland gate were taken into custody for questioning and for briefing them about the need of ILP in Dimapur.

The police informed that the reason behind the tightening of security on Sunday was because of two big events, the second Islah-E-Muashra and Duwa Mehfil programme, which were organised near the New Field check gate.

“In that security process, the misunderstanding happened and people mistook it for the issue of ILP,” said the police source.

He further informed that normalcy returned after  timely intervention from both the Nagaland police and the Assam police. During the protest, vehicles from Nagaland were not allowed to cross the border check post.

In lights of the protests, many civil society organisations also came forward and participated actively to maintain peace and harmony between the two sides.

Whereas, a butcher near the check gate, who wished not to be named, said that over hundreds of people from Assam came forward protesting the action of Nagaland police.