Manipur Chief Minister N Biren Singh, who also holds the home portfolio, has said that his government is focused on dealing with illegal immigration and smuggling of drugs in the state, besides initiating counter-insurgency measures.
Speaking at the 131st Raising Day of Manipur Police on 19 October, Singh also said: “We cannot solely concentrate on insurgency, and counter-insurgency measures… as the state is facing problems of immigration and drug smuggling”.
It was a pleasure to attend the 131st Raising Day Parade of Manipur Police in the presence of hon’ble Ministers, MLAs, and other esteemed dignitaries at 1st MR Ground today. pic.twitter.com/y3IEyp4mb5
— N.Biren Singh (@NBirenSingh) October 19, 2022
Manipur Chief Minister N Biren Singh on 16 October had said that 613 people were arrested within four to five days for violating Inner Line Permit (ILP) norms.
He described sheltering of illegal immigrants as the “biggest threat” to the state and announced that a “house-to-house survey” will be conducted soon to identify such people.
Raising serious concern over the influx of illegal immigrants from Bangladesh and Myanmar, Singh told reporters that steps will be initiated against those locals who are allowing such foreigners to live in their houses on rent.
The ILP is an official document issued by the government to grant inward travel of a person into a protected area for a limited period. The ILP regime came into force in Manipur state in 2021.
“The recent operations related to Inner Line Permit defaulters were necessitated after many of those entering the state with ILP could not be traced later from the phone numbers they had provided while entering the state,” Singh said.
He cited that identifying illegal immigrants has become a huge problem.
On questioning, it was found that he got migrated to India illegally and settled here in Manipur. This type of infiltration is not only a matter of concern for our state but also a threat to national security.
—
N.Biren Singh (@NBirenSingh) October 20, 2022
“A house-to-house survey will be conducted to find out illegal immigrants. Appropriate actions will be taken against any landlord who shelters illegal immigrants at their place,” the chief minister said.
He also said unless such steps are taken, it will be difficult to save the indigenous population of the state, adding that the indigenous population of the state in the whole country is microscopic.
He urged the local people not to give shelter to illegal immigrants in order to protect the language, culture and identity of the small indigenous population.
Mentioning the gravity of the situation, Singh appealed to ILP holders in a Facebook post on 11 October:
“In a very unfortunate situation, a total 218 ILP defaulters have been found today. The apprehended persons have been produced before the CJM Ukhrul for summary trial. Considering the gravity of the situation, convened a meeting with senior govt. officials and senior police officials to deliberate on intensifying the drive to identify the ILP defaulters in every corner of the state. I urge all the ILP holders to kindly update the status of your stay in time.”
The Manipur Inner Line Permit (ILP) is an official travel document issued by the state government to allow inward travel of an Indian citizen visiting the state. It is issued for a specific time period.
The Inner Line Permit is currently applicable in the four north-eastern states of Mizoram, Nagaland, Manipur and Arunachal Pradesh.
The Government of India had only recently extended the applicability to the State of Manipur vide Order of President of India No. S.O. 4433(E) dated 11/12/2019 and it came into effect in Manipur from 1 January 2020.
The Manipur Cabinet had adopted 1961 as the base year for determining the “native” status for implementation of Inner Line Permit in Manipur.
With inputs from PTI.
