CAB : Mizoram CM, civil society organisations express

Opposition to the contentious Citizenship Amendment Bill, 2019 was expressed by Mizoram Chief Minister Zoramthanga and civil society organisations of the state during their meetings with Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Saturday.

Shah was a day-long visit to the state, his first since assuming office.

Zoramthanga met Shah at the Raj Bhavan and told him that people of the state are opposed to the CAB, an official statement said.

The proposed amendment to the Citizenship Act, 1955 could "open floodgate of illegal immigrants" to the north state, it said.

The chief minister urged Shah for raising two battalions of Mizoram Border Guard Force to be deployed along the Mizoram-Myanmar and Mizoram-Bangladesh international borders, it said.

The Assam Rifles guard the Mizoram-Myanmar borders, while the vigilance at the Mizoram Bangladesh borders is entrusted to the Border Security Force. However, there have been complaints of infiltration from the two neighbouring countries and the state home department had on earlier occasions sought the creation of such a batallion by the Centre to guard the border areas.

The Mizoram NGO Coordination Committee, an umbrella organisation of major civil society bodies and student associations of the state, changed its plan to hold a protest rally during Shah's visit and opted to meet him instead and place its demands.

During the meeting the committee submitted a memorandum demanding that the CAB should not be legislated in Parliament but if it is done then Mizoram and other north eastern states who are opposed to it should be exempted from its ambit, a press release issued by the NGO body said.

It said that Shah had assured the body that the inner line permit (ILP) system in force in Mizoram would be incorporated in the proposed Citizenship Amendment Bill.

"Shah said that ILP regime would be strengthened so that it is the Citizenship Amendment Bill, even after being legislated into an act do not have adverse effects in the state," it said.

The ILP is an official travel document issued by the Government of India to grant permission for inward travel of an Indian citizen into a protected area for a limited period.

It is obligatory for Indians residing outside the states concerned to obtain permission prior to entering such areas.

Currently, the Inner Line Permit is issued under the Bengal Eastern Frontier Regulation, 1873 and is operational in Arunachal Pradesh, Mizoram and Nagaland. The conditions and restrictions vary from state to state.

Shah had said on October 1 that the CAB would be passed in Parliament and will grant citizenship to Hindus, Sikhs, Buddhists, Jains, Parsis and Christians from Afghanistan, Bangladesh and Pakistan after seven years of stay in the country even if they do not possess proper documents.

The Bill had been passed in Lok Sabha on January 8 but lapsed as it could not be placed in Rajya Sabha.

There have been protests against the proposed Bill in several north eastern states.

Zoramthanga also sought the creation of a separate Mizoram cadre for all India services and employment of Hindi teachers to propagate Hindi in the state, the official statement said.

Shah assured the NGO body that he would take steps to raise a battalion of the Central Reserve Police Force comprising Mizo boys to man the border security along the international border with Myanmar and Bangladesh, its statement said.

Earlier, Shah, who is also the chairman of the North East Council, inaugurated an exhibition of north east handloom and handicrafts and assured Zoramthanga of working towards the development of the state.