Shillong, August 18: The North East Student Organization (NESO) staged a sit-in-strike in all state capitals of the North Eastern region, including Meghalaya, to pressure the Government of India and state governments to take proactive actions to protect the indigenous population by stopping illegal immigration.
Speaking to media persons during the protest held in Shillong, Chairman of NESO Samuel B Jyrwa stated that the sit-in-strike is a call to action for the government to address the serious issue of illegal immigration, which has been plaguing the region for decades.
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“We have faced this problem of illegal immigration of people from across the border especially from Bangladesh to the different states of the NE region. We have seen the situation in Tripura, Assam and even in Meghalaya, we have witnessed so much upheaval and people’s movement against this infiltration of people from Bangladesh.
Therefore, this sit-in-strike is a call to the government of India and also to the state governments of the different states in the NE region to take note of this very serious issue and to take proactive actions on the ground to stop this illegal infiltration,” Jyrwa said. Jyrwa also cited the Prime Minister’s statement on August 15, 2025, acknowledging the impact of large-scale illegal immigration on the demography of the North Eastern region.
“Since the Prime Minister has acknowledged this grave issue, we hope that the government of India will take concrete steps on the ground so as to protect the welfare of the indigenous people of the NE region,” he said.
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On the failure of the Centre and the state government to take steps to implement the inner line permit (ILP) in Meghalaya, Jyrwa said, “Well, you see the issue of ILP is a very old issue in which the Khasi Students Union (KSU) has been demanding since 1983 but sadly and unfortunately, the government of India and also the successive central governments have not implemented the ILP in the different states of the NE region and also in the state of Meghalaya.” NESO will hold a meeting to discuss further action and will inform the public accordingly.
(Newmai News Network)