MZP continues border policing

Aizawl, Aug 26: Mizo Zirlai Pawl, Mizoram’s apex students’ body, continues manning its own check-gates along the Assam-Mizoram border to prevent Bangladeshi migrants who were left out in the Assam NRC from entering Mizoram.
MZP on Saturday claimed that it has pushed back at least 210 travellers into Assam as part of its drive launched on Monday to check influx of “illegal immigrants” into the state following publication of the final draft of the National Register of Citizens (NRC) in Assam last month. Top police officers of both Cachar (Assam) and Kolasib (Mizoram) districts, however, said that although travellers were being checked “a few days back”, such checking has been discontinued.
The development in Mizoram comes weeks after Khasi Students’ Union (KSU) in Meghalaya had set up check-gates and stopped travellers from Assam to question them about their identity in an attempt to prevent any movement of illegal migrants from Assam a day after the NRC draft publication. Although KSU stopped this checking after a couple of days, the agitation led to Meghalaya government stepping up checks on border routes, making travellers show “any valid government ID”.
MZP general secretary Lalnunmawia Pautu said the outfit had started checks at three points on the state border route through Assam’s Cachar district and Mizoram’s Kolasib district and 200-odd volunteers are at work. “Our checking will continue. We are asking for both Inner Line Permit (ILP) papers and the NRC document,” he said.He said the checks were being done independently by MZP to stop any “illegal migrant” from entering the state.
Mizoram has the ILP system, which is a special permit required by “outsiders” from other regions of India to enter the state.
Cachar SP Rakesh Roushan said, “There were reports a few days back (that checking was going on). I had spoken to the Kolasib SP about it. As of now there are no reports of any such checks.”
Kolasib SP Abhishek Dhania said that after reports emerged of such checks, people were explained that what was published on July 30 was only the final draft NRC, and not a final document. He said checking for ILP was on, which was a routine affair, but no checks on whether travellers have NRC document is taking place.