CoMSO stages protest against delay in ILP implementation, demands setting up of SIT to detect and deport illegal Bangaldeshi nationals

Syllad | The Rising MeghalayaJune 13, 2025

The Confederation of Meghalaya Social Organizations (CoMSO) on Friday staged a surprise protest infront of the secretariat against the delay of the government to implement the inner line permit (ILP).

According to the confederation, ILP would have prevented the recent murder of a tourist from Indore Raja Raghuvanshi at Sohra. 

The CoMSO has also demanded the Centre to put pressure on the state government to immediately set up a special investigation team (SIT) to detect and arrest illegall immigration from Bangladesh/Myanmar.

“We demand immediate implementation of the ILP system in the state of Meghalaya,” the CoMSO chairman and president of Hynniewtrep Youth Council (HYC) Roykupar Synrem told reporters.

He said nothing was made known whether MHA has accepted or not the resolution passed by the state Assembly in 2019.

“In the backdrop of whatever had happened in the last few days, we know that there was a murder committed in the state of Meghalaya by some persons from other states. Had ILP being implemented in Meghalaya, the accused in the murder of Raja Raghuvanshi would have first think before committing such a crime. If we have ILP in place their details would have been entered in a register while entering Meghalaya,” Synrem said. 

“Meghalaya has spend resources in searching for Sonam. Had ILP been implemented, we would have known for a fact that she has left for Indore, after committing the crime. That is why ILP is necessary so that we have details of persons entering the state and leaving the state,” he added.

He cited that there are many instances where people commit crimes here and runaway and police are clueless as they don’t have details of persons entering the state of Meghalaya. 

“Based on this backdrop, we want ILP to be implemented in the state of Meghalaya.”

Further, Synrem said that the confederation also demanded the state government for immediate setting up of SIT in each district to detect, identify and deport the illegal immigrants from Bangladesh/Myanmar.

In the backdrop of the Pahalgam attack, the government of India had issued direction to all states and union territories that in each district, there should be a special investigation team (SIT) to identify, detect and deport all illegal immigrants especially from Bangladesh. 

“We have not seen any action taken by the state of Meghalaya. We don’t believe that there is no Bangladeshi national in the state as Meghalaya being transit route even for Bangladeshi to enter to other states. Therefore, we want the Centre to put pressure on the state government to set up SIT at the earliest,” he said.

“We know persons arrested in Mumbai, Delhi and other all are saying the easiest way to enter India is through Meghalaya,” Synrem said adding “HYC and other NGOs have apprehended alot of Bangladeshi nationals in Meghalaya. So how can you assume that there are no Bangladeshis in Meghalaya. we want the state government to follow the directives of the Centre.”

He reminded that “this involves not only safety of Meghalaya but also India as people of Bangladesh will be staying in Meghalaya or India they might trigger something big and we dont know may be third party will also take advantage of this porous border by making people enter the state and commit alot of crimes.” 

Also emphasizing the need to implement the Migrant Workers (Amendment) Bill, 2024, the CoMSO chairman said that there are two important provisions in the amendment.

“First, provision is that a labourer before he gets a registration card to work in Meghalaya, he should produce a police verification so that we know the antecedants of these people because we have had an incident where a person from Assam entered Meghalaya, works here and commit crimes against children but during investigation that same person had committed similar crime in his own state. So had police verification been done, we could have prevented such crimes,” he said.

“The second one is that those who violated the provisions of the workers Act, especially the employers, there will be a fine of Rs 1 lakh so that it create a deterrent to employers particularly in the cement factories in Jaintia Hills and other road construction agencies,” he added.