Amid the ongoing process of identifying and deporting illegal immigrants from Manipur, the state government disclosed that 5,457 illegal immigrants have been found in Kamjong district as of Wednesday.
Chief Minister N Biren Singh shared on X, mentioning, “We’ve found 5,457 illegal immigrants, and we’ve recorded biometric data for 5,173 of them.”
The state government has uncovered a total of 5,457 illegal immigrants in Kamjong district, Manipur, as of May 7, 2024. Among them, biometric data for 5,173 illegal immigrants have been collected.
Deportation procedures are in progress. We’ve been providing humanitarian assistance to all identified illegal immigrants. Despite the seriousness of the situation, we’re handling it with great care.
According to a statement released by the state Home department in July 2023, the Manipur government recommenced its biometric registration campaign for all illegal immigrants in the state from July 20, 2023.
The campaign will continue across all districts until the biometric data of all illegal immigrants from Myanmar in the state are successfully obtained.
In the initial phase, 77 illegal immigrants were sent back to Myanmar, and one Indian national was repatriated from Myanmar during a handover ceremony on May 2.
Previously, Union Home Minister Amit Shah mentioned that to curb illegal immigration and drug trafficking, the pending Indo-Myanmar border fencing work in all northeastern states will resume.
Manipur shares a 390 km border with Myanmar, of which only 10 km has been fenced so far.
Regarding the ongoing clashes between Meitei and Kuki communities, there were reports last year suggesting the involvement of armed individuals from Myanmar wearing ‘lungis’. Videos showing such individuals armed with sophisticated weapons circulated on social media.
During a parliamentary session, Union Home Minister Amit Shah stated that Manipur’s crisis stems from external aggression.
