Amid Cab Protests, Modi Govt Extends Inner Line Permit Regime To Manipur, President Signs Order

Amid intense anti-Citizenship Amendment Bill protests in the North-East region of India, the Narendra Modi government on Wednesday extended the inner line permit regime to Manipur with President Ram Nath Kovind signing the order in this effect. The crucial order comes two days after Union Home Minister Amit Shah announced in the Lok Sabha that the ILP would be extended to the northeastern state. A notification in this regard was issued by the Home Ministry.

Manipur is the fourth state after Arunachal Pradesh, Nagaland and Mizoram where the ILP regime is applicable. To visit the ILP-regime states, outsiders, including people from other states of the country, needs to take permission.

Meanwhile, thousands in Guwahati took to streets against the controversial Citizenship (Amendment) Bill, that seeks to grant Indian citizenship to non-Muslims from Afghanistan, Bangladesh and Pakistan. The protesters clashed with police and blocked the key GS road in the capital city of Assam, largest state in the North East. The police lathi-charged and fired tear gas shells to disperse the protesters demanding rollback of the Citizenship (Amendment) Bill.

Several students were reportedly injured in the brutal police lathcharge. "This is a barbaric government led by Sarbananda Sonowal. We will not succumb to any pressure till the CAB is repealed," the students said.

Students in large numbers were seen proceeding towards the Secretariat from all directions. Another group has reached Ganeshguri area, around 500 metres from the centre of power. They broke a barricade on GS Road following which the police resorted to lathi charge. Teargas shells were also lobbed at the students who also threw the shells back at the policemen.

Apart from Guwahati, clashes between police and protestors also erupted in Dibrugarh district. The police fired tear gas shells and rubber bullets at demonstrators. Though no organisation has called for a bandh on Wednesday, people have come out in large numbers in Jorhat, Golaghat, Dibrugarh, Tinsukia, Sivasagar, Bongaigaon, Nagaon, Sonitpur and several other districts since morning.

The Citizenship (Amendment) seeks to grant citizenship to Hindus, Sikhs, Buddhists, Jains, Parsis, and Christians fleeing persecution in Muslim-majority Afghanistan, Bangladesh and Pakistan. THe citizenship will be granted only to those non-Muslims who came to India till December 31 2014.