Aizawl: At least 36 outsiders, mostly participants of a trade expo, were apprehended for not having valid Inner Line Permits (ILP) and for violating the Bengal Eastern Frontier Regulation, a police officer said.
The non-tribal individuals were detained on Friday during a voluntary verification drive conducted at the ongoing first International Star Expo by the state apex student body Mizo Zirlai Pawl (MZP) and the Mizoram Merchant Association (MIMA), who handed them over to the authorities, he added.
The trade expo is currently being held at Lammual (formerly Assam Rifles ground) in central Aizawl.
The individuals were found either with expired ILPs or without the required travel permits, he said.
Non-state residents, especially non-tribal people, must obtain an ILP to enter Mizoram. The ILP is an official travel document issued to Indian citizens for entry into protected areas, including the state.
Meanwhile, MZP and MIMA expressed regret over the incident, attributing responsibility to the accused for participating in the trade fair without valid ILPs. The two organisations added that, during a joint meeting on September 30, they had already cautioned the public against trading with non-ILP holders at the expo.
MZP president C Lalremruata said that they have discovered during the inspection that a local resident from Lunglei, who is the owner of an event management firm, had allegedly sponsored 20 participants in contravention of the guidelines for the ILP enforcement in Mizoram, which restrict sponsorship to more than 10 persons by an individual.
The two organisations also raised concerns over the negligence of law enforcement agencies and the enforcement of ILP rules in the state, after it was discovered that an individual had sponsored 20 people, he said.
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They urged the state government to exercise caution and strictly follow regulations when issuing ILPs to outsiders, he added.
