Public movement for NRC must continue: MMTU
Source: The Sangai Express

Imphal, August 31 2026: The Meetei (Meitei) Tribe Union (MMTU) has categorically stated that the people's movement demanding updation of the National Register of Citizens (NRC) must continue, as the Government's notification on deferring the census made no mention of identifying illegal immigrants.

MMTU, in a statement, said that deferring the census for some time is not the only demand being raised by the people.

Claiming that the Government had not taken any initiative to update the NRC when the census was previously postponed from April to August, the Union said that merely deferring the census would not address the people's concerns. It also claimed that neither the Centre nor the State Government have any intention to deport illegal immigrants settled in the State.

Further alleging that illegal immigrants are being used for vote-bank politics and geopolitical considerations, the MMTU pointed out that two agreements, signed in 1980 and 1994 for the deportation of illegal immigrants, are still not implemented.

It elaborated that AMSU and AMSCOC had signed an agreement with the Government in 1980 for updating the NRC and deporting illegal immigrants.

A similar agreement was signed between AMSU and the Government in 1994, but the agreements are still not implemented, MMTU added.

The influx of illegal immigrants hasn't stopped despite the existence of laws such as the Foreigners Act, 1946 and the Passport (Entry into India) Act, 1920, which are intended to regulate the entry and stay of foreigners in the country, the Union claimed.

MMTU further claimed that the orders issued by the Government from time to time to identify illegal immigrants have not been effective.

The Union also said that the State Government could take several measures to address issues concerning illegal immigrants through Section 28 of the Immigrants and Foreigners Act, 2025 and others.

The Government can also take measures to check the expansion of villages and poppy plantations in reserved and protected forests under the Forest Act, 1927, it added.

Questioning whether the Forest Act is applicable only in the valley districts, the Union claimed that around 64,300 illegal immigrants had entered Manipur between 2021 and 2025 according to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) .

Many, however, feared that the actual number of illegal immigrants entering Manipur during the period could be much higher, as nearly 2.8 million people fled Myanmar following the military coup in 2021, with reports suggesting that around 1.1 million crossed into neighbouring countries, it said.

Saying that the continuous influx of illegal immigrants into Manipur since 1951 and the establishment of around 2500 unauthorised villages have posed a serious threat to the indigenous people of the State, the Union urged the Manipur State Population Commission to compile and publish data on the number of illegal immigrants settled in the State.

MMTU urged the Population Commission to understand the gravity of the situation and take up appropriate measures to address the issue.

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