Student activists demand NRC in state
Source: Chronicle News Service

Imphal, March 13 2023: Demanding formal conduct of National Register of Citizens (NRC) and constitution of population commission in the state, activists of six student organisations staged demonstration in front of the main gate of CM's secretariat, here, on Monday.

At about noon, a group of students belonging to six student organisations marched towards the CM's secretariat holding festoons and shouting slo gans.

A police team deployed near the post office traffic crossing stopped the students from proceeding towards the CM's secretariat thereby resulting in brief scuffle between the two sides.

Regarding the protest, DESAM president Leishangthem Lamyanba told media persons that population growth rate of Manipur is higher than the national average.

Apart from this, there is unnatural population growth rate in hill areas of Manipur thereby indicating settlement of fresh immigrants from Myanmar, Bangladesh and Nepal and establishment of new villages consequently threatening the indigenous communities, he said and stressed the need for conduct of NRC and Constitution of population commission.

According to Lamyanba, the government must evict new villages settled by immigrants to showcase that rules of law prevail in the state or else outsiders would overtake the indigenous communities of Manipur sooner than expected.

He also said that the state government must take steps to implement NRC so as to deport foreigners and mount pressure in this regard on the Centre.

When the population growth rate from the year 2001 to 2011 in Imphal was only 17 per cent, growth rate in hills in the same period was 38 percent.

This indicates that there is unnatural population growth in the hills and accordingly implementation of NRC is necessary to identify foreigners and deport them, Lamyanba added.

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