The Indian Home Ministry on Wednesday extended inner line permits to Manipur and another seven states in the country's northeast.
It means that any outsider, including Indians from other parts of the country, cannot enter the region without obtaining an official travel document from the Indian government.
The move comes amid the ongoing discussion over the Citizenship (Amendment) Bill, in the Rajya Sabha, the upper house of the Indian Parliament.
The parliament's lower house, the Lok Sabha, on Tuesday cleared the proposed legislation with 311 votes in favour and only 80 against. But the bill has proved controversial and lead to massive shutdowns and student protests in the area.
The region, which shares land borders with countries including China, Myanmar, Bangladesh, Bhutan, and Nepal, is also home to 200 of the 635 tribal groups in the country.
Despite assurances from the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party's leaders, protesters claimed that residents have no option but to protest, as the legislation will destroy the identities of the indigenous people in the region. They also feared that the bill would contribute to rising unemployment, and that refugees could take some of the limited jobs available.
