IMPHAL: Amid the throes of ethnic strife in the state, Manipur Chief Minister N Biren Singh on Monday stated that people who entered and settled in the state after 1961 would be identified and deported.
The chief minister stated during a launch event of ‘Project Buniyaad - Aathmanirbharta Ka Aadhar’ in the state capital that individuals entering the state after 1961, the base year of determining native status under the Inner Line Permit system (ILP) would be deported.
“The crisis we are facing today is one of struggle for existence, survival, and identity. The properties and identity, inherited over centuries, have now become insecure due to the lack of vision of certain politicians. Our generation is insecure today, so the government is working to make your future secure,” the CM said.
He also asserted that the government’s actions, including the construction of fences and the repeal of the free movement regime (FMR), were aimed at ensuring a secure future by reducing widespread illegal immigration and activities such as drug trade and weapons trafficking.
CM Singh’s statement comes after the Manipur Cabinet in June 2022 approved a proposal to adopt 1961 as the base year for determining the ‘native status’ of the state residents for effective implementation of the inner line permit.
Earlier in December 2019, the Central government extended the inner line permit regime to Manipur to blunt opposition to the Citizenship Amendment Bill.
Following Arunachal Pradesh, Nagaland, and Mizoram, Manipur became the fourth state in the country where the ILP regime, established under the Bengal Eastern Frontier Regulation of 1873, was implemented.
Expressing concern over the state government, decision, Naga leader and Forum for Restoration of Peace convenor Ashang Kashar said that deportation cannot be solely carried out by the Manipur government.
He also emphasized the importance of identifying the immigrants, saying that those identified as immigrants should not have the rights enjoyed by the original inhabitants, including voting.
Notably, Manipur has been experiencing episodes of violence since ethnic clashes first erupted in May, 2023, resulting in deaths of over 180 people to date.
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