Mizoram student body MZP seeks stricter border protection, ILP enforcement

The Mizo Zirlai Pawl (MZP), an influential student organisation in Mizoram, has called for stronger protection of the state’s boundaries, stricter enforcement of the Inner Line Permit (ILP) system and safeguards for provisions governing marriage and inheritance of property, a leader said on Saturday.

The demands were among a series of resolutions adopted at the organisation’s recent general assembly, MZP general secretary Lalhmingsanga Chhangte said.

The MZP urged the Mizoram government to take steps to protect the state’s “genuine boundaries” and ensure stricter monitoring of people entering the state.

Chhangte said the organisation had called for ILP checks at all entry points into Mizoram and sought measures to ensure that every person entering the state undergoes the prescribed verification.

The ILP system regulates the entry of people from outside Mizoram and is intended to monitor and regulate the movement of non-residents into the state.

According to figures presented in the Mizoram Assembly last month, nearly five lakh ILPs have been issued since 2024. More than 2.15 lakh of these were issued after the inauguration of the Bairabi-Sairang railway line in September last year.

The student body also called for strict implementation of the Mizo Marriage and Inheritance of Property (Amendment) Act, 2026, and sought measures to prevent descendants of non-Mizo communities from claiming Scheduled Tribe benefits, Chhangte said.

The amendment, passed by the state Assembly in February, includes provisions relating to polygamy and bigamy, the Mizo identity of women marrying non-Mizo men and women's property rights in cases of separation from their husbands.

The MZP further resolved that the state government should formulate stringent laws against businesses allegedly operated by non-Mizos or outsiders using Mizo names as fronts, Chhangte said. It also called for investigations into such practices.

Another resolution adopted at the general assembly called for a study on the possible impact of the Kaladan Multi-Modal Transit Transport Project (KMMTTP) on Mizoram and its people.

The MZP said an assessment should examine the project's implications for the state and its residents, according to Chhangte.