New Delhi: Manipur Chief Minister N Biren Singh has said those who entered and settled in the state after 1961 would be identified and deported. Experts on Tuesday raised viable questions about the move, news agency PTI reported. They said the identification of illegal immigrants was a welcome step but their deportation would be difficult unless the foreign countries concerned recognise them as their bonafide citizens.
Manipur CM expressed his concern while speaking at the launch of 'Project Buniyaad' on Monday. He said, "Those who entered and settled in the state after 1961, irrespective of castes and communities, would be identified and deported", PTI quoted Manipur CM as saying.
CM N Biren Singh's assertion came after the decision to adopt 1961 as the base year for determining native status, made by the Manipur cabinet last year, underscoring the state government's efforts to regulate residency through the inner line permit (ILP) system. However, the actual process of identifying and deporting illegal immigrants faces significant hurdles, as highlighted by political analysts, reported PTI.
Experts Raise Questions Over Manipur CM's Announcement
Pradip Phanjoubam, a political analyst, told PTI, "In order to deport illegal immigrants, the foreign country concerned must accept them as their bonafide citizens. If the foreign country does not recognise the immigrants as their citizens, how will they be deported?"
He went on to say, "Many of those are living in the state over several decades, have become naturalised citizens. In case of deportation, there are legal implications that need to be considered", as per PTI.
Ashang Kashar, a Naga leader and convenor of the Forum for Restoration of Peace, echoed this sentiment, emphasising that deportation cannot be solely executed by the Manipur government. He stressed the identification of immigrants as a crucial factor.
As per PTI, a Manipur government official disclosed that 2,187 individuals remained in the state following the upheaval triggered by the military's ousting of Aung San Suu Kyi's elected government in February 2021. The central government has initiated steps to stop a free movement regime along the India-Myanmar border.
The Coordinating Committee (COCOMI), a coalition of Imphal valley-based organisations, seized upon the recent statements by Manipur's Chief Minister as a crucial acknowledgment of the issue of illegal immigration plaguing the state. They emphasized the importance of learning from the experiences of Assam's National Register of Citizens (NRC) to effectively identify and address the presence of illegal immigrants, reported PTI.
"This is the core of today's conflict. We can learn from Assam's NRC experience. The first thing to do is to identify the illegal immigrants", COCOMI spokesperson Khuraijam Athouba told PTI.
Notably, Manipur has been witnessing recurring bouts of violence since ethnic clashes first erupted in May last year. More than 180 people have been killed since then.
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