NSF to hold 2-day national seminar on BEFR in Dimapur

Dimapur, August 20 (MExN): The Naga Students’ Federation (NSF), through its Inner Line Regulation Commission (ILRC), will organise a two-day national seminar on the Bengal Eastern Frontier Regulation (BEFR), 1873, at Town Hall, Dimapur, on August 28 and 29. The seminar is being organised by the ILRC-NSF under the theme of ‘strengthening awareness and implementation of the BEFR, 1873.’

According to the NSF, the seminar is intended as a national-level policy consultation to strengthen implementation of the BEFR, 1873, and consolidate recommendations for consideration by the Nagaland government.

The first day will focus on “Academic and Ground Realities” and examine the enforcement of the regulation in Nagaland and other states where the Inner Line Pass system is in operation. The second day, themed “Legal Perspective”, will examine the constitutional dimensions of the regulation.

Senior Advocates of the Supreme Court of India, Prashant Bhushan and Shomona Khanna, will address the seminar on the relationship between Fundamental Rights and the BEFR, 1873, as well as the protection of the rights of hill tribes.

Academic resource persons include Prof Nani Bath of Rajiv Gandhi University, Arunachal Pradesh; Dr Lallianchhunga of Mizoram University; Prof (Dr) Ch Priyoranjan Singh of Manipur University; and Prof Shantanu Chakravarty of Girijananda Chowdhury University, Assam, who is also former head of the Department of Political Science at Cotton University.

The NSF said more than 300 delegates are expected to participate, including representatives of tribal Hohos, apex Naga organisations, student bodies, federating units of the NSF, Members of the Nagaland Legislative Assembly, government officers, bar associations, and colleges and institutions in Dimapur.

Twenty seats have been kept open for members of the general public. Advance booking is compulsory and will close on August 25. Those wishing to attend may contact ILRC Member Secretary Eno Seve R Vadeo.

The proceedings will be documented in full, with a rapporteurs’ report, consolidated policy recommendations and a seminar resolution to be submitted to the Government of Nagaland. The federation has appealed to the public, particularly the student community, to take an interest in the deliberations.

“The BEFR, 1873, and the Inner Line Pass system it underpins remain among the most important safeguards protecting the identity, land, customs and resources of the indigenous people of Nagaland,” the NSF stated.