NE student bodies rise as one against illegal immigration
Source: The Sangai Express

Aizawl/Kohima/Agartala/Shillong, August 18 2025: The issue of illegal immigration has once again come to the fore in the North East as student groups in the region, both affiliated to the North East Students' Organisation (NESO), staged coordinated protests demanding strict action to detect and deport undocumented migrants.

At Aizawl the Mizo Zirlai Pawl (MZP)- the apex student body in Mizoram and also a NESO constituent organised a protest rally in Aizawl against what it described as unchecked cross-border migration from Myanmar and Bangladesh.

Mizoram, which shares a porous border with Myanmar, has witnessed a steady inflow of refugees in recent years due to die political crisis and civil conflict across the border.

MZP leaders demanded that the Centre and the State Government formulate a clear policy to distinguish between refugees fleeing conflict and illegal immigrants, and to ensure that the demographic balance of the State is not altered.

NESO Vice Chairman Ricky Lalbiakmawia echoed the concerns, stating that illegal immigration from Bangladesh has been a persistent issue since India's Independence in 1947, with far-reaching social, cultural, and political implications.

Citing Tripura as a cautionary example, he noted that the indigenous people there have already become minorities in their homeland, while Assam and Meghalaya continue to grapple with similar problems despite measures like the Assam Accord of 1985 .

In Kohima the Naga Students' Federation (NSF) staged a sit-in demanding eviction of illegal immigrants from the region.

The demonstration was held at Naga Solidarity Park.

It witnessed the participation of students from various educational institutions and leaders of NSF and NESO .

As part of the protest, NESO general secretary Mutsikhoyo Yhobu and NSF president Medovi Rhi submitted a memorandum to Nagaland Chief Minister Neiphiu Rio through the Chief Secretary Sentiyanger Imchen, raising serious concerns over the issue of illegal immigration in the region.

In the memorandum, they described illegal migration as one of the gravest threats to the socio-cultural fabric, demographic balance, and political stability of the region.

"Today, the problem has only deepened and Assam is witnessing radical change in its demographic structure," the memorandum claimed, adding that the issue has also spilled over into other parts of the region.

It also claimed that the problem persists in Tripura and Meghalaya as well for long.

The organisations stressed that despite repeated appeals, the Central Government has failed to take comprehensive and long-term measures.

They urged both the Centre and the States to treat the matter with urgency, warning that the identity, culture, and very existence of indigenous peoples in the North East were at stake and stressed on strengthening border control with modem surveillance and adequate security deployment and also developing inter-State coordination to prevent relocation of migrants within the region.

Appropriate legal safeguards and policy measures be brought about to preserve and protect indigenous rights, culture, language, political and land ownership were suggested.

The NESO and NSF demanded formation of a Special Review Committee to address population explosion in vulnerable areas.

"The demographic and cultural changes already visible in parts of our region are warnings of an existential crisis.

If strong and sustained measures are not taken now, the very identity of the North East's indigenous peoples could be irreversibly altered," they maintained.

In Tripura, members of the Twipra Students' Federation (TSF), a constituent of NESO, staged a sit-in demonstration near the Circuit House in Agartala.

Similar demonstrations were reported from different parts of the state.

TSF leaders said that the Centre as well as the State Government must act on the long-pending demands of indigenous groups to implement the Ministry of Home Affairs' directives on checking migration.

"Illegal immigrant issue is not new in Tripura or in the North East.

For more than 40 years, the indigenous people have been facing this problem.

As NESO has resolved, we are protesting and demanding that migrants must be detected and deported.

We will also submit a memorandum to the Chief Minister," said TSF vice-president John Debbarma.

Debbarma further cautioned that the ongoing eviction drives in neighbouring Asam could push migrants to shift into Tripura unless coordinated measures are taken.

"We want the State Government to strictly implement MHA's directives and to coordinate with other States.

Since eviction is under process in Assam, those evicted will try to relocate.

Preventive steps are needed to stop them from entering Tripura," he added.

The protests in Tripura and Mizoram are part of a wider NESO campaign across the North East, which has seen demonstrations in Assam, Manipur, Meghalaya, and Nagaland as well.

The call for detection and deportation also dates back to historic movements like the six-year-long Assam Agitation (1979-1985), which culminated in the Assam Accord.

Yet, decades later, indigenous groups across the region argue that the problem remains unresolved.

In Meghalaya too a similar protest was also staged.

Speaking to media persons during the protest held in Shillong, Chairman of NESO Samuel B Jyrwa stated that the sit-in-strike is a call to action for the Government to address the serious issue of illegal immigration, which has been plaguing the region for decades.

"We have faced this problem of illegal immigration of people from across the border especially from Bangladesh to the different States of the NE region.

We have seen the situation in Tripura, Assam and even in Meghalaya, we have witnessed so much upheaval and people's movement against this infiltration of people from Bangladesh.

Therefore, this sit-instrike is a call to the Government of India and also to the State Governments of the different States in the NE region to take note of this very serious issue and to take proactive actions on the ground to stop this illegal infiltration," Jyrwa said.

Jyrwa also cited the Prime Minister's statement on August 15, 2025, acknowledging the impact of large-scale illegal immigration on the demography of the North Eastern region.

"Since the Prime Minister has acknowledged this grave issue, we hope that the Government of India will take concrete steps on the ground so as to protect the welfare of the indigenous people of the NE region," he said.

On the failure of the Centre and the State Government to take steps to implement the inner line permit (ILP) in Meghalaya, Jyrwa said, "Well, you see the issue of ILP is a very old issue in which the Khasi Students Union (KSU) has been demanding since 1983 but sadly and unfortunately, the Government of India and also the successive Central Governments have not implemented the ILP in the different States of the NE region and also in the State of Meghalaya." NESO will hold a meeting to discuss further action and will inform the public accordingly, he said.

Illegal immigrants have taken a heavy toll on the NE States.

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