24,475 Illegal Myanmar immigrants detected in Manipur; 14,992 pushed back

Meitei and Naga organisations are demanding that the implementation of NRC precede the census exercise.

Manipur Home Minister Konthoujam Govindas informed the Assembly on Monday that 24,475 illegal 

Manipur witnessed a steady influx of undocumented Myanmar nationals in the past few years following the unrest and conflict in the neighbouring country.

Replying to a query from Opposition MLA Th. Lokeshwar Singh regarding the issue of illegal immigrants, Govindas said altogether 24,475 illegal immigrants from Myanmar had been detected in the state so far and 14,992 of them had been pushed back. The immigrants entered the three border districts of Kamjong, Tengnoupal and Chandel.

In Kamjong, 5,378 out of 6,545 immigrants have been pushed back, while the remaining 1,167 have been sheltered in camps opened by the government in community halls. 

In Tengnoupal, only 14 out of 3,560 have been pushed back, while the remaining 3,546 were being looked after by the Deputy Commissioner after their biometric records were taken. In Chandel, 9,600 out of 14,370 illegal immigrants have been pushed back, and biometric records of 1,308 out of the remaining 4,770 have been taken.

Govindas said the government had already instructed the Deputy Commissioners concerned to segregate the illegal immigrants from local Indian communities. He said the process of pushback was being carried out through diplomatic channels.

Manipur Home Minister Konthoujam Govindas informed the Assembly on Monday that 24,475 illegal immigrants from Myanmar had been detected in the state. Manipur govt to send MLAs to Delhi to press Centre for NRC implementation

He informed the House that the government had constituted a 12-member committee on August 7, 2024, under the chairmanship of former Minister Awangbow Newmai to detect and identify the influx of illegal immigrants and the unnatural growth of new villages. A Cabinet Sub-Committee was also constituted on February 16, 2023, in this regard.

Meanwhile, replying to a question raised by Congress MLA K Meghachandra Singh, Govindas said the state government would pursue the matter of NRC with the central government in line with the resolutions adopted by the state Assembly.

He informed the House that the records of the 1951 NRC were being traced. He stated that the state government could not implement NRC without the approval of the central government.

Stating that the NRC issue should not be taken lightly, Govindas said that although it had been implemented in Assam, it could not still be kept in the public domain, as the matter was pending in court. He said the Manipur government had already pursued the central government to introduce NRC in the state.

Manipur is divided on the NRC issue. Meitei and Naga organisations are demanding that the implementation of NRC precede the census exercise. Kuki organisations have already dismissed the NRC demand, calling it “premature and unjustified,” and welcomed the census. 

The Centre last week deferred census operations in the state amid protests in the Imphal Valley districts.