FNCC points to mass scale immigration
Source: The Sangai Express

Imphal, September 02 2025: Since its inception as one of the 19 States of India in 1972, Manipur has been a theatre of recurring conflicts rooted in deliberate demographic manipulations and exploitation by Kuki illegal immigrants and refugees, the Foothills Naga Coordination Committee (FNCC) has said.

"The Kuki-Naga conflict (1993-1998), the Kuki-Paite conflict (1997), and the ongoing Kuki-Meitei conflict (since 2023), sponsored by Kuki politicians and their militant groups, all bear testimony to one common crux: the systematic attempt to alter Manipur's indigenous equilibrium through demographic engineering and the forceful subsumption of smaller communities under the Kuki identity," asserted FNCC in a statement.

At the heart of this crisis lies a question that can no longer be ignored: What concrete measures have the Government of India and the Government of Manipur taken to address this demographic exploitation engineered by the Kukis, who continue to invite illegal immigrants and refugees from Myanmar under the cover of kindred ties? asked the FNCC.

"The Manipur Government's Cabinet Sub-Committee, formed to identify unlawful immigrants and new villages contributing to deforestation and illegal encroachment in 2023 was, ironically, headed by Letpao Haokip, who belongs to the very community that sheltered these illegal entrants.

The credibility of such a body is therefore deeply compromised, and ilegal villages continue to mushroom in Manipur without restraint," it said.

In August 2024, the Manipur Legislative Assembly resolved to form a 12-member House Committee under Rule 305(a) to inquire into the influx of illegal immigrants and the unnatural growth of villages.

Yet despite such measures, the ground reality remains unchanged, as illegal Kuki villages continue to mushroom across the State with impunity.

While biometric mapping has been done, this exposes the enormity of the demographic threat confronting Manipur, it added.

Statistics reveal the magnitude.

In Kangpokpi sub-division, Kuki villages increased from 179 in 1969 to 721 in 2023, a 303% rise.

This unnatural growth is the outcome of deliberate manipulation by "Kuki refugees within Government establishments", fabricating documents and altering records to consolidate demographic dominance, asserted the FNCC.

The menace of illegal immigration must be addressed with utmost seriousness, and demands implementation of the National Register of Citizens (NRC) in letter and spirit to dismantle illegal Kuki villages, and deport identified illegal immigrants without delay.

Failure to do so will force the FNCC to hit the streets in Naga-inhabited areas, and the Government will be held responsible for any eventuality, FNCC cautioned.

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