Aizawl, Sept. 8 -- A total of nearly 38,000 non-tribal visitors applied for Inner Line Permits (ILPs) to enter Mizoram over the past three years and seven months, the State Home Department said.

Of these applications, 35,922 permits were approved, while several others were either rejected or found to be in violation of rules.

From January to July this year alone, 5,971 applications were received, with 5,492 permits issued. The ILP system, enforced under the Bengal Eastern Frontier Regulation of 1873, requires non-tribals to obtain prior permission before entering Mizoram, formerly known as the Lushai Hills.

Permit applications peaked in 2022 at 12,905, followed by 10,160 in 2023. The same year recorded the highest number of violations,...