Editor,

The Misings are a Tibeto-Burman ethnic group residing primarily in the Northeastern Indian states of Assam and Arunachal Pradesh. They belong to the Tani linguistic family within the broader Tibeto-Burman language group.

According to historical records, the Misings originally inhabited the hilly regions of Arunachal, situated between the Subansiri and the Siang Rivers. Sometime between the 13th and 14th centuries, they migrated into what is now the state of Assam in search of fertile land.

The Misings believe in Abotani as their ancestor and is supposed to be a son of mother sun and father moon of the heavenly abode. The Mising people inhabiting the plains believe Gumin as one of the earliest ancestors, the forefather of a lineal family of Abotani. This shared heritage explains why the Misings share common origins, linguistic affinities, religious rituals, and creation myths with other Tani-speaking groups found within Arunachal.

Currently, there are approximately 1.2 million Mising people in Assam, residing primarily in the districts of Dhemaji, North Lakhimpur, Sonitpur, Tinsukia, Dibrugarh, Sibsagar, Jorhat, and Golaghat. Additionally, more than 50,000 Mising people reside in Arunachal, specifically in East Siang, Lower Dibang Valley, and Lohit districts. Under the provisions regarding Scheduled Tribes within the Constitution of India, the Mising people are officially listed as ‘Miri’. However, they prefer to refer to themselves as ‘Mising’, a term meaning ‘Children of the Land’, whereas in the Mising language, ‘Miri’ signifies ‘People of the Hills’.

Regarding the ILP regulations, its primary objective is to regulate the movement of persons entering Arunachal, with the specific aim of protecting the demographic composition, traditional culture, land resources, and natural resources of the indigenous tribal communities residing in these regions. Consequently, Mising residents who reside in Arunachal and possess valid tribal status within the state are generally regarded as indigenous inhabitants, and are thus entitled to the rights accorded to native populations, whereas Mising residents hailing from Assam or lacking such status do not enjoy these same rights.

Therefore, the implementation of the Inner Line Permit is a rigorous and protracted process. We must avoid making sweeping generalisations and instead apply a nuanced, case-by-case approach.

Saade Reckleben