No bill in Manipur’s recent history has generated as much interest among its people as the bill currently being prepared by the government to introduce Inner Line Permits in the state. Whether it is the communities in the hills or those in the valley, each is anxiously awaiting the result in the hope that the bill will serve its interests. The announcement of a peace accord with the National Socialist Council of Nagaland (Isak-Muivah) has added to the anxieties in the state, especially if it is perceived to be indirectly or directly not conducive to the territorial integrity of Manipur.
The problem is, one community’s interests in the state don’t necessarily overlap with another’s. In mid-July, sustained protests for the Inner Line Permit System had forced the state government to withdraw the Manipur Regulation of Visitors, Tenants and Migrant Workers Bill of 2015, which aimed to regulate the entry of visitors and migrant workers. Not satisfied with this, agitators continued with their protests, maintaining that the withdrawal was an attempt to sidetrack from the real issue – the implementation of ILPS to provide adequate safeguards for the state’s indigenous peoples. They want a system similar to the one in place in Arunachal Pradesh, Nagaland and Mizoram, where Inner Line Permits regulate the entry of non-domicile citizens into a restricted region.
When public pressure didn’t abate, the Congress-led Manipur government finally promised to draft an Inner Line Permit bill within a month.
While the bill is still awaited, an argument has emerged against the ILPS, which claims that it is an attempt by the state’s dominant community, the Meiteis, to retain their pre-eminence in the power hierarchy. This is not true. The idea of the Meiteis being threatened and marginalised is very real even if it may not sound so to some. Just because a community is demographically in majority doesn’t mean that it is impervious to discrimination, oppression and marginalisation from still bigger communities.
This is especially true for the Meiteis who, though in majority in Manipur, are a tiny minority as compared to other non-tribal communities of India. The Meiteis’ fears appear all the more valid when viewed in the context of the migration into the state and the migration within the state to the valley, where land and other resources are fast diminishing. As per the 2011 Census, there were 7.5 lakh Meiteis, 6.7 lakh Tribals, and 7.4 lakh non-Manipuris in the state. If the Scheduled Castes are excluded, the Meiteis actually trail non-Manipuris by around 13,000.
The Sixth Schedule
The Inner Line Permit System should, therefore, be implemented in Manipur in conjunction with another proposed safeguard of rights.
The Central Government recently sent a letter to the government of Manipur regarding the implementation of Sixth Schedule of the Constitution in the state’s hills. The Sixth Schedule, which aims to ensure that the rights of tribals who are minorities within a geographical area are not subsumed, could go some way in defending those smaller tribes of Manipur that find themselves sandwiched between two competing groups. What’s more, it could also be instrumental in solving several long-standing tribal issues in the state. But for these benefits to be reaped, proper mechanisms should be first put in to make sure that benefits are distributed equally.
There are suspicions among the hill tribes that the government of Manipur is trying to avert the implementation of the Sixth Schedule by prioritising the demand for ILPS. The silence of the valley populace on this issue, and open opposition from some quarters, hasn’t particularly helped their fears. Worsening this climate of distrust, there are suspicions among some members of the intelligentsia that the demand for ILPS has the twin objective of lending more strength and legitimacy to the Meiteis’ demand for Scheduled Tribe status.
In this complex and vitiated atmosphere, the movements for ILPS and the Sixth Schedule could offer a rare opportunity to kill many birds with one stone. One cannot reject the legitimacy of the Sixth Schedule while accepting the implementation of ILPS and vice-versa. But, the methods and outcome of these movements need critical self-appraisal so that pre-existing suspicions, rivalries and hostilities are not perpetuated.
It is unfortunate that there have been very few consultations between the tribal and Meitei leaders in Manipur, except for sporadic and chance meetings that never really afford opportunities to know each other’s issues and concerns. There is an urgent need for a soul-baring dialogue among the peoples of Manipur to ensure the protection of our lands and heritage for future generations. This is a huge responsibility indeed. After all, the ILPS and the Sixth Schedule are both not meant to be permanent legislation. They are both interim measures till a uniform and equitable deal is eventually in place, a deal in keeping with international standards of human rights. But is the present generation of Manipur prepared for this role? This is the crucial question that’s yet to be answered.
Immanuel Zarzosang Varte is a cultural anthropologist based in Manipur.
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The problem is, one community’s interests in the state don’t necessarily overlap with another’s. In mid-July, sustained protests for the Inner Line Permit System had forced the state government to withdraw the Manipur Regulation of Visitors, Tenants and Migrant Workers Bill of 2015, which aimed to regulate the entry of visitors and migrant workers. Not satisfied with this, agitators continued with their protests, maintaining that the withdrawal was an attempt to sidetrack from the real issue – the implementation of ILPS to provide adequate safeguards for the state’s indigenous peoples. They want a system similar to the one in place in Arunachal Pradesh, Nagaland and Mizoram, where Inner Line Permits regulate the entry of non-domicile citizens into a restricted region.
When public pressure didn’t abate, the Congress-led Manipur government finally promised to draft an Inner Line Permit bill within a month.
While the bill is still awaited, an argument has emerged against the ILPS, which claims that it is an attempt by the state’s dominant community, the Meiteis, to retain their pre-eminence in the power hierarchy. This is not true. The idea of the Meiteis being threatened and marginalised is very real even if it may not sound so to some. Just because a community is demographically in majority doesn’t mean that it is impervious to discrimination, oppression and marginalisation from still bigger communities.
This is especially true for the Meiteis who, though in majority in Manipur, are a tiny minority as compared to other non-tribal communities of India. The Meiteis’ fears appear all the more valid when viewed in the context of the migration into the state and the migration within the state to the valley, where land and other resources are fast diminishing. As per the 2011 Census, there were 7.5 lakh Meiteis, 6.7 lakh Tribals, and 7.4 lakh non-Manipuris in the state. If the Scheduled Castes are excluded, the Meiteis actually trail non-Manipuris by around 13,000.
The Sixth Schedule
The Inner Line Permit System should, therefore, be implemented in Manipur in conjunction with another proposed safeguard of rights.
The Central Government recently sent a letter to the government of Manipur regarding the implementation of Sixth Schedule of the Constitution in the state’s hills. The Sixth Schedule, which aims to ensure that the rights of tribals who are minorities within a geographical area are not subsumed, could go some way in defending those smaller tribes of Manipur that find themselves sandwiched between two competing groups. What’s more, it could also be instrumental in solving several long-standing tribal issues in the state. But for these benefits to be reaped, proper mechanisms should be first put in to make sure that benefits are distributed equally.
There are suspicions among the hill tribes that the government of Manipur is trying to avert the implementation of the Sixth Schedule by prioritising the demand for ILPS. The silence of the valley populace on this issue, and open opposition from some quarters, hasn’t particularly helped their fears. Worsening this climate of distrust, there are suspicions among some members of the intelligentsia that the demand for ILPS has the twin objective of lending more strength and legitimacy to the Meiteis’ demand for Scheduled Tribe status.
In this complex and vitiated atmosphere, the movements for ILPS and the Sixth Schedule could offer a rare opportunity to kill many birds with one stone. One cannot reject the legitimacy of the Sixth Schedule while accepting the implementation of ILPS and vice-versa. But, the methods and outcome of these movements need critical self-appraisal so that pre-existing suspicions, rivalries and hostilities are not perpetuated.
It is unfortunate that there have been very few consultations between the tribal and Meitei leaders in Manipur, except for sporadic and chance meetings that never really afford opportunities to know each other’s issues and concerns. There is an urgent need for a soul-baring dialogue among the peoples of Manipur to ensure the protection of our lands and heritage for future generations. This is a huge responsibility indeed. After all, the ILPS and the Sixth Schedule are both not meant to be permanent legislation. They are both interim measures till a uniform and equitable deal is eventually in place, a deal in keeping with international standards of human rights. But is the present generation of Manipur prepared for this role? This is the crucial question that’s yet to be answered.
Immanuel Zarzosang Varte is a cultural anthropologist based in Manipur.