Mizoram cops to flush out foreigners after HC order

Aizawl, Jul 4(UNI) Following a slight modification of Gauhati High Court's interim order on the Inner Line Permit checking in Mizoram, the Mizoram police have begun initiatives to check foreigners staying illegally in the state.

Aizawl SP L T Hrangchal said here today that he had received instructions from the state DGP to initiate action in regard to identifying foreigners who may be staying in the state illegally.

''We have received instructions to begin checking foreigners and we will immediately proceed with this today,'' Hrangchal said, adding that results may be available about the checking by this evening.

Gauhati High Court, following an appeal from the Mizoram government over its interim order of 13-6-2008 that directs the state not to arrest or deport any Indian nationals on grounds of not possessing the ILP, made a modification on July 2, 2008 allowing the state government to ''verify the credentials of those persons whom the respondents suspect are not citizens''.

The High Court, however, cautioned that the state government keeps meticulous records of the verifications and that such verifications be undertaken by a police officer not below the rank of DSP.

The court also permits the state government to check whether such suspects possess Inner Line Permits as contemplated by the Bengal Eastern Frontier Regulation 1873.

Asked how gargantuan their task would be regarding ferreting out Bangldeshi infiltrators, a police officer said it would be next to impossible since they have no way of identifying Indians from non-Indians. At present, it is estimated that 10,000 non-Mizos, the majority of them Muslims, are residing in Aizawl alone and this estimate could also be on the conservative side.

''We may have to treat all those not possessing ILPs as suspects in case of foreigners from Bangladesh,'' he said.

UNI ZS PL RL PM1538