Identify, root out illegal immigrants : CM
Source: The Sangai Express / DIPR

Imphal, October 16 2022: Chief Minister N Biren Singh has sought full support and cooperation from the masses in identifying illegal immigrants staying in the State.

Briefing media persons this evening at the Cabinet Hall of the Chief Minister's Secretariat, N Biren Singh said that the issue of illegal influx of non-locals is at an alarming stage today and the same is a threat to 'our society' .

The Chief Minister also appealed to all to inform the police or district administration if they come across any illegal immigrants staying in Manipur.

Saying that a house to house survey will be conducted after the establishment of the State Population Commission, the Chief Minister further appealed to all to refrain from renting out rooms or selling land to illegal foreigners or immigrants.

Identify, root out illegal immigrants : CM

The Chief Minister cautioned that legal actions could be taken up against the house owners if found housing illegal foreigners.

He further said that the Government has already fixed 1961 as the base year for the Inner Line Permit Act.

Further stating that the Government will launch a mechanism to trace illegal foreigners with devices such as face recognition cameras, N Biren Singh said that the Government had also launched an operation to identify individuals who went missing after entering the State illegally.

Till yesterday, the Government had arrested around 613 people who violated ILP norms under the operation, he said and added that some of the defaulters have been deported to their native places.

Most of these violators are from Bangladesh and Myanmar, the Chief Minister added.

A number of Myanmarese refugees were detected at Churachandpur not so long back .

Stating that the Government alone could not implement ILPS effectively, the Chief Minister appealed to the people to extend support in saving the State.

N Biren Singh said the population of indigenous people in Manipur is quite small and after seeing the risk of illegal immigrants and foreigners 'outnumbering us,' Prime Minister Narendra Modi implemented the Inner Line Permit System in Manipur.

Acknowledging that there indeed are difficulties in identifying illegal immigrants due to certain factors and trust deficit, the Chief Minister maintained that one person who entered the State illegally in 1990 was arrested only recently.

Though the State Government has set 1961 as the base year for the Inner Line Permit System, the Joint Committee on Inner Line Permit Sytem has been demanding that the base year should be 1951 .

The ILPS was extended to Manipur before the Citizenship Amendment Bill was passed and that exempted the State from the coverage of Citizenship Amendment Bill (CAB), which was later enacted.

Manipur had seen a strong and intense movement demanding the implementation of ILP before the same was extended here.

So intense was the demand for ILP that a student was killed in police action while taking out a rally raising the said demand.

Likewise Manipur also joined the rest of the North East region before the CAB was passed in Parliament.

The ILP was then extended to the State leaving it out from the purview of the CAB which was later enacted.

During the press briefing today, the Chief Minister was accompanied by Works Minister Govin-das Konthoujam, CAF&PD Minister L Susindro Meitei, Education Minister Th Basanta Kumar Singh, Transport Minister Kashim Vashum, DGP P Doungel and other police officers.