What clearly put those who batted for the NRC on the back foot was that the majority of people from the “excluded” 1.9 million (who cannot be defined as foreigners until the legal process is completed) are Hindu and remain unsure of their future, many without access to legal aid. So, there was an underlying anger and it tipped again with the new law that appeared to be dismissive of Assam’s concerns. Also, there is fear that granting citizenship to people who have come illegally over the decades from Bangladesh, Afghanistan and Pakistan could change Assam’s demography. There is a plan to provide protection through the Inner Line Permit (ILP) system. But experience has shown that the ILP—in place in Nagaland, Mizoram and Arunachal Pradesh for decades—has not been effective. The Centre tried to walk a fine line by applying the ILP provision across both Sixth Schedule areas, which is an affirmative action law providing ethnic, cultural and political reservation to tribal interests in Meghalaya and Mizoram as well as tribal areas of Assam and Tripura. However, the Sixth Schedule does not cover Nagaland, Arunachal and Manipur. Consequently, a complex situation has become even more challenging.