43 illegal migrants caught in crackdown
Are State Govt and its intelligence agencies sleeping ?
Source: Hueiyen News Service

Imphal, August 30 2012: After Chief Minister Okram Ibobi Singh tried hard to convince the State Assembly last year that there are not a single illegal migrant from foreign countries in Imphal, state police today has rounded up 43 foreign nationals including 24 Bangladeshis and 19 Myanmareses during a crackdown.

The illegal migrants were rounded up in two separate operations carried out by state police personnel.

The Myanmarese Nationals were found staying at Lilong while the 24 Bangladeshi Nationals at Hatta Golapati areas, according to IGP (LO) L Kailun.

The IGP told reporters that a combined team of Imphal West, Thoubal and Bishnupur Police today conducted combing operations at Lilong area and picked up 136 youths for verification.

Verifications were carried out at 2nd MR Parade Ground.

During the course of verification, 19 of them admitted that they were from Myanmar and came to Manipur through Moreh, Meghalaya and Tripura while the rest identified themselves as citizens of other Indian states.

Around the same time, Imphal East Police also conducted a similar operation in Hatta Golapati area and rounded up 24 Bangladeshi Nationals.

They do not have any passport or documents for staying or travelling in India.

All 24 of them would be produced in the Court tomorrow to decide whether they should be remanded to judicial custody or handed over to their respective embassies, the IGP said.

The police officer disclosed that out of the 43 illegal migrants, some disclosed that they have been living in Manipur for the last 8 years along with their wives and children.

There are also some others who came to Manipur around 15 days back, thus indicating that border areas of North Eastern States are still porous.

Kailun further informed that similar operations were also conducted at some places of Imphal West and Bishnupur districts.

However, no illegal migrants were found.

Police will continue its drive against illegal migrants to prevent unwanted incidents in the state, the police officer said, adding that Jiribam is the prime target for police to conduct such operations since there are reports of many illegal migrants settling in Jiribam.

Kailun observed that influx of illegal migrants is not a small issue.

The issue has been rooted in the soil of the state since many years.

Many of them have been included in the voters' list and census records of the state and police cannot do anything against those who are included in the voters' list.

FREINDS President Sapamcha Jadumani, who is now in Bangalore, told Hueiyen Lanpao that the step being taken up by the state police to find out illegal migrants, even though it is a little bit late, is a good.

Even though the state government keeps saying that is no illegal migrants in the state, police have sent back more than 200 Bangladeshis since 2006, he pointed out.

Jadumani further said that foreign nationals, who have committed crimes in their countries, are increasingly finding Manipur as safe haven.

It was in 2003 that a foreigner, who committed a murder in Meghalaya, was arrested from Bamonkampu.

In 2004 too, a person was arrested from Imphal for decapitating a child in Guwahati.

So, it is necessary for the state police to investigate if any of the arrested foreign nationals were innocent civilians or have crime records.

Many of them got married to local women and settled in the state.

FREINDS has received a case in which an illegal migrant eloped a Muslim girl from Lilong.

In such a situation, Manipuri Muslims should also cooperate with the police in identifying illegal migrants to avoid unwanted incidents in future, he added.

Jadumani asserted that 60 percent of the total population in Jiribam Sub-Division is foreign nationals while only 40 percent is indigenous people.

Jiribam has become a nest for illegal migrants like Tripura.

Moreover, while Arakaneses are beginning to settle in Moreh over the last few years, many illegal migrants are taking roots in Senapati, Ukhrul and Tamenglong districts after sneaking into as labourers.

In order to prevent the matter, police should broaden its area of operation and strategies so that the issue of illegal migrants can be curbed effectively, he suggested.

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