The All Arunachal Pradesh Students’ Union (AAPSU) has called upon the State Government to implement the Bengal Eastern Frontier Regulation (BEFR) Act of 1873 in letter and spirit.
The BEFR Act prohibits all citizens of India from entering the state without an inner line permit (ILP).
In a representation submitted to the Chief minister’s office on Sunday, the AAPSU claimed that the BEFR Act is not being implemented in its true sense in the State as reports of repetitive violations of Article 3 and 7 of the Act has been surfacing in a regular basis.
In the wake of neighbouring state Assam publishing its final draft of the National Register of Citizens (NRC) on July 30, the AAPSU had on August 17 launched its first phase of Operation Clean Drive (OCD), a statewide campaign of the Union against illegal immigrants and ILP violators.
The AAPSU and its federal units during the drive carried out on August 17 and 18 had detected over 2000 ILP violators from across the State.
The drive, AAPSU said was only to check infiltration of illegal migrants and regulate the ILP system in Arunachal Pradesh effectively and not to harass any Indian citizen.
The Union is scheduled to launch its second phase of Operation Clean Drive in all the districts of the State shortly.
Further stating that one of the major drawbacks detected during the OCD was the presence of fake ILPs from a large number of illegal immigrants including those who had simply entered the State by paying a few hundred rupees at the check gates, the AAPSU demanded the ILP system to be digitalized at these check gates.
The Union also stated that CCTV cameras and metal detectors should be installed at the gates to check the inflow of anti-social elements.
Setting up of special courts for trying ILP violations, proper training of personnel deputed at check gates, strict disciplinary action to be taken against officials and security personnel involved in violation of BEFR Act, shifting of the Likabali check gate, setting up of additional ILP checking points were the other demands of the AAPSU.