A 13-member all-party committee has been formed to look into the demand of various social organisations for introduction of Inner Line Permit (ILP) to protect the indigenous people in Manipur, officials said.
The decision to form the committee was taken in a 6-hour-long all-party meeting presided over by Chief Minister Okram Ibobi Singh last evening, they said. The Naga People's Front, however, did not participate in the meeting.
The committee would consider whether a separate law could be enacted by the state Assembly and submit its report soon to the government. The first meeting of the committee would be held on August 9, officials said.
Representatives of the political parties have urged the government in the meeting to release about 100 women activists, now in judicial custody for demanding introduction of ILP in the state, JD(U) leader M Tombi said.
ILP system is in force in neighbouring Nagaland, Mizoram, and Arunachal Pradesh.
