Manipur starts collection of biometrics of 'illegal migrants' from Myanmar amid massive rally by Meitei groups

The Manipur government on Saturday began a drive to collect biometrics of "illegal migrants" from neighbouring Myanmar on a day Meitei groups staged a massive rally demanding action against the "Kuki narco terrorists" and implementation of a National Register of Citizens (NRC) in the state.

The drive to record the biometrics began at the Foreigners' Detention Camp at Saijwa in Imphal East district, where 105 Myanmar nationals are lodged. They were arrested by the police and lodged in the camp for illegally entering India and violating Foreigners Act, officials in Manipur said.

Read | Manipur: Rally held to protest against demand for 'separate administration' by Kukis

Peter Salam, joint secretary of Manipur home department earlier asked all the SPs to get ready for the drive while forwarding a letter dated May 29, in which the Union Ministry of Home Affairs asked Manipur and Mizoram to record biometrics of the Myanmar nationals by September. It said the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) would help in the collection of the biometrics.

The drive came days after the Manipur government asked the Assam Rifles to immediately deport 718 Myanmar nationals who had illegally entered Manipur on July 22 and 23. Manipur chief secretary Joshi also asked the SP of Chandel district to collect biometrics of the "illegal migrants" before they are deported.

Sources said the biometric data would be put in the "negative biometric list" and thereby prevent the Myanmar nationals from acquiring Indian citizenship.

Why biometrics?

Manipur shares 390 km of India's 1,634 km border with Myanmar but most stretches have remained unfenced. This has allegedly aided illegal migration and the cross border crimes. The Northeastern states witnessed influx of the Myanmar nationals, who fled the neighbouring country after the military rulers launched a crackdown against the "pro-democracy protesters" in 2021. More than 35,000 Myanmar "refugees" have been provided shelter in neighbouring Mizoram.

But the influx to Mizoram has not triggered much resistance from the locals as the Mizos share ethnic bonds with the migrants belonging to the Chin community of Myanmar.

In Manipur, however, the Meitei community, which constitutes nearly 53 per cent of the population, have alleged that the Kukis living in the hill districts have aided "illegal migration" of the Kuki-Chin people from Myanmar and allowed them to encroach the forest land. They claim that "illegal migration" of the Chin-Kukis is one of the reasons for the ongoing conflicts that have already resulted in the killing of nearly 150 people and displacement of over 60,000 others.

The BJP government in the state earlier opened a foreigners' detention camp to lodge illegal migrants from Myanmar.

Rally by Meitei groups in Imphal

The Coordination Committee on Manipur Integrity (COCOMI), a forum of several Meitei civil society organisations, staged a rally in Imphal on Saturday where thousands gathered to demand action against the alleged narco terrorism committed by the Kukis.

A resolution adopted after the rally demanded the implementation of the NRC in Manipur and not to fulfill the demand for a "separate administration" for the Kuki-inhabited areas in Manipur. Kuki groups, on the other hand reject the allegations saying the Meiteis are trying to tag the entire Kuki community as illegal migrants by demanding NRC in the state.

Meanwhile, Kukis say a separate administration is the solution as the Meitei-led government in the state discriminated against the Kukis in the past.