Dimapur: The Nagaland Tribes Council (NTC) has insisted on the implementation of the Register of Indigenous Inhabitants of Nagaland (RIIN) with a cut-off date of December 1, 1963.
“Under no circumstances the faulty method of registration can be incorporated or the cut-off year can be neither relaxed,” the NTC said in a release.
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As and when the RIIN is implemented, the cut-off year has to be December 1, 1963, it said.
Demanding that the RIIN exercise should be done without fear or favour, the council said improper registration of citizenship will endanger the very existence of the bonafide indigenous inhabitants of Nagaland.
The NTC said it was disappointed to observe that the state government made a U-turn in its pursuance of the issue and kept the report submitted by the RIIN Commission headed by former chief secretary Banuo Z Jamir in cold storage for more than two years.
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It urged the state government to peruse the given report without inhibition as the RIIN is indispensable for the survival of Nagaland.
Drawing attention to the RIIN Commission’s report and recommendations, the NTC said with the creation of Nagaland as the 16th state of the Indian Union with effect from December 1, 1963, the laid down cut-off date and year for the purpose of identifying its indigenous inhabitants is 1, 12, 1963, issued vide the state government standing notification No. AR-8/8/76 dated Kohima the 28th April 1978 as referred to in the commission report vide Para 1 of P/5.”
The NTC also pointed out that the 16-Point Agreement empowers the state to enforce the Bengal Eastern Frontier Regulation (BEFR) Act 1873/inner line permit (ILP). It said the BEFR Act 1873/ILP and RIIN are synonymous and cannot be separated.
“Several times existence of this document was incorporated in the RIIN Commission findings and eligibility of the constitutionally delegated notification No. AR-8/8/76 dated Kohima the 28th April 1978 maintaining the cut-off date and year as 1, 12, 1963 for the purpose of identification of indigenous inhabitants in the state,” the council said.
However, it is not included in the recommendation portion of the commission’s report.
Stating that the whole of Nagaland is a tribal state, it said the state government had complicated the issue by issuing another notification against the wishes of the aboriginal people in the name of tribal belt notification vide land revenue department notification No. LR/2-118/76 dated 21/11/1979.
This notification, referred to in para 32 of the commission report, bifurcates the hill sections and the plains sector of the state whereby a person settled in the state prior to November 21, 1979, is eligible for indigenous inhabitants status, it said.
It demanded that the government’s tribal belt notification should be revoked immediately.
The NTC asked how can there be two different cut-off dates and years for the identification of indigenous inhabitants for the hills people and the plains sector.
According to the NTC, another ‘enormous error’ recommended by the RIIN Commission pertains to proof of permanency of residence.
The NTC urged the state government to incorporate the constitutionally delegated Notification No. AR-8/8/76 dated Kohima April 28, 1978, for maintaining the cut-off date and year as December 1, 1963, for the purposes of identification of indigenous inhabitants and to delete the ‘erroneous recommendation’ in the commission report for proof of permanency of residence.