''Northeast cannot be dumping ground for foreigners'': Filmmaker Aribam Syam Sharma on CAA

Filmmaker Aribam Syam Sharma welcomed the Centres decision to extended the Inner Line Permit (ILP) to Manipur but, reiterated his stand on the Citizenship (Amendment) Act, 2019.  He said that all Northeastern states must oppose the Act as the region cannot be a "dumping ground" for foreigners.

"Citizenship (Amendment) Bill has now become an Act. It has now become a reality in northeast India. In Manipur, the government has announced that there will be ILP (Inner Line Permit) and no CAB in Manipur. Everyone should welcome the order of the government. It is clearly written in the order that there will be no CAB in the ILP areas," Sharma told reporters.  

"But my protest against CAB is not only for Manipur but for the whole of the Northeast. My point is that the Northeast cannot be a dumping ground for foreigners. Assam, Meghalaya and Tripura are protesting against the Act. All states of Northeast must fight against this Act," he added.

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In a bid to protest against the Bill which is now an Act after Presidential assent, the 83-year-old Manipuri filmmaker returned the Padma Shri award which was conferred on him in 2006. Sharma, has bagged numerous national film awards for his invaluable contribution to the Indian film industry.

The Citizenship (Amendment) Act seeks to grant Indian citizenship to refugees belonging Hindu, Sikh, Buddhist, Parsi and Christian communities facing religious persecution from Pakistan, Afghanistan, and Bangladesh and who entered India on or before December 31, 2014. However, the Act will not apply to regions under "The Inner Line Permit" as mentioned under the Bengal Eastern Frontier Regulation, 1873.

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"Nothing in this section shall apply to the tribal area of  Assam,  Meghalaya, Mizoram or Tripura as included in the Sixth Schedule to the Constitution and the area covered under  "The  Inner  Line"  notified under the  Bengal  Eastern  Frontier Regulation, 1873," read a Gazette notification.

ILP extended to Manipur

The Ministry of Home Affairs had recently extended the ILP system to Manipur after Arunachal Pradesh, Nagaland, and Mizoram. To visit the ILP-regime states, outsiders, including people from other states of India, need to take permission. Notice in this regard was issued by the Home Ministry. "In the Third Schedule to the Adaptation of Laws Order, 1950, for the directions relating to the Bengal Eastern Frontier Regulation, 1873, the following shall be substituted, namely: - `Preamble.-- In the opening paragraph, for "districts of Kamrup, Darrang, Nowgong, Sibsagar, Lakhimpur, Naga Hills, Cachar" substitute "States of Arunachal Pradesh, Manipur, Mizoram and area of districts of State of Nagaland as notified from time to time," read a Gazette notification dated December 11. Violent protests have raised in several parts of the Northeast following the passage of Citizenship (Amendment) Bill, 2019. 

READ | Manipur: People Stage Candle March To Show Solidarity With Assam

(With inputs from ANI)

Northeast cannot be dumping ground for foreigners: Filmmaker Aribam Syam Sharma on CAA