The ASTBAC (Arunachal Scheduled Tribes Bachao Andolan Committee) has issued a seven-day ultimatum to the state government to address its demands, including a foolproof Inner Line Permit (ILP) checking mechanism, to protect the state from illegal immigrants.

The committee claims that the current ILP system is porous and affected by corruption, both at the secretariat and at check gates, as it questioned the political secretary being empowered to issue temporary ILPs without sufficient checks.

The committee argues that the government’s ILP revamping proposal focuses only on the positive points and ignores critical drawbacks that need correction.

The committee is also seeking strict clauses for ILPs issued for mega project works to prevent misuse and excessive extensions, which currently can go up to two years.

The committee has warned that failure to meet its demands may lead to a 72-hour statewide bandh, as it has refused to meet the home minister, stating that discussions should take place directly with the chief minister.

With mass support on the ILP issue as well as the refugee issue, the committee is likely to set the tone for the government.

Therefore, the government should initiate negotiations with the organisation to chalk out the best possible path to avoid confrontation and a prolonged bandh, as daily wage earners as well as the daily lives of citizens are affected.