Nagaland Apex Body Urges Manipur Government to Initiate National Register of Citizens (NRC) Update
The United Naga Council (UNC), representing the apex body of Nagas in Manipur, has called upon the State government to immediately commence the process of updating the National Register of Citizens (NRC).
Led by the BJP, the Manipur government under the leadership of Nongthombam Biren Singh has been seeking approval from the Centre to undertake an NRC updating exercise, similar to the one carried out in Assam. The Assam NRC process left out 19.06 lakh out of 3.3 crore applicants due to the lack of adequate citizenship documentation.
In a statement, the UNC highlighted the pressing need for the NRC update in the face of escalating illegal immigration. They asserted that the NRC is the most viable mechanism to address the issue of unwarranted population influx in Manipur and called for its immediate implementation by the State government. The organisation criticized the Centre for its alleged “policy of encouraging” the inflow of people from Myanmar, stating that this has caused a serious demographic crisis in Manipur.
The UNC expressed concern over the reported influx of 718 people from Myanmar, as disclosed by the Assam Rifles on July 23. It urged the State government to take stringent measures to curb this menace and blamed the Centre for not effectively managing the influx of people from Myanmar.
Manipur is home to three major communities: the Meiteis, the Nagas, and the Kuki-Zomis. While the Meiteis and Nagas are considered indigenous to the region, a significant portion of the Kuki-Zomi community is believed to have migrated from Myanmar.
The ongoing Kuki-Meitei clash, which began on May 3, has been fuelled, in part, by concerns about the alleged promotion of “narco-terrorism” by the Kuki-Zomi people and their Chin counterparts from Myanmar.
Meanwhile, the Manipur government has extended the deadline of the Verification and Identification Committee responsible for identifying “illegal immigrants” from Myanmar in the Chandel and Tengnoupal districts. The new deadline is September 30, as per the guidance from the Union Home Ministry, which had commenced biometric data collection of people from Myanmar in July. A team of officials from the National Crime Records Bureau is assisting the State government in this process.
During the recent clashes between the Myanmar Army and civil forces, 718 Myanmar nationals, including 301 children and 208 women, entered Chandel district in Manipur. These individuals have sought refuge in seven villages along the India-Myanmar border.
A previous report by a sub-committee of the Manipur Cabinet, led by Tribal Affairs and Hill Development Minister Letpao Haokip, revealed that 2,187 illegal immigrants from Myanmar had established settlements in 41 locations across four districts – Tengnoupal, Chandel, Kamjong, and Churachandpur.
Mr. Haokip, a BJP legislator and one of the ten tribal MLAs advocating for a separate administration for the Kuki-Zomi people, has been actively involved in addressing the ethnic violence that erupted on May 3.
News Mania Desk / Agnibeena Ghosh
