Imphal, June 27: Manipur is staring at another phase of public unrest, this time over implementation of the inner line permit (ILP) system to stop influx of migrants with an NGO, spearheading the campaign, launching an agitation today.

The Federation of Regional Indigenous Society today staged a sit-in at Keishampat here to begin its fresh round of campaign. The organisation lined up various courses of agitation, including strikes and blockades to force the Okram Ibobi Singh government and the Assembly take a decision to impose the system.

The launch of the campaign coincided with the start of the monsoon session of the Assembly today.

The opening day of the session which will pass the full budget did not have any business other than holding a condolence resolution for the death of former minister T. Gougin.

In August last year, Ibobi Singh assured the House that he was willing to implement the system. A public interest litigation (PIL) on the mater was pending in high court.

Ibobi Singh had said this in response to a private member resolution moved by N. Mangi Singh of the CPI, then a member of the ruling alliance.

To allow the Ibobi Singh government to take a move, the NGO is in the process of withdrawing the PIL filed in 2008. The court will hear the appeal for withdrawing the PIL on July 3.

“We have firm belief that the Ibobi Singh government will take a decision after the PIL is withdrawn,” Sapamcha Jadumani, president of the NGO, said.

The course of action includes a fast-unto-death by Kakchingtabam Birahari Sharma, adviser to the NGO, from July 6, a three-day-long economic blockade along Imphal-Dimapur and Imphal-Jiribam highways from July 11 to be followed by a three-day statewide bandh.

Jadumani said in addition to these programmes, sit-ins and rallies by students and civil society organisations would also continue.

He hoped that organisations belonging to other communities would extend support to the campaign and agitation.

An ILP restricts Indians from other states (non-Manipuris) from entering the state without permission where the system is in force.

The princely state of Manipur had a similar system to restrict entry of outsiders. The system was removed by the Centre in 1950, a year after Manipur became a part of the Indian Union. This system is in force in Nagaland, Mizoram and Arunachal Pradesh.

Quoting 2001 census reports, Jadumani said of the 22,93,896 population of Manipur migrants (outsiders) account for 7.04 lakh, while the Meitei population was 7.51 lakh and tribal population 6.7 lakh.

“Now rails will be coming to Manipur in a few years time and it would open the floodgate of migrant influx. Unless the system is introduced all the indigenous people of Manipur will be swallowed and doomed,” Jadumani said.