Weed out, deport illegal immigrants: MMTU
Source: The Sangai Express

Imphal, August 26 2025: The Meetei (Meitei) Tribe Union has stated that detecting and deporting illegal immigrants settled in Manipur must be the Government's topmost priority, given the profound impact the issue has had on the State's demography.

MMTU, in a statement signed by its organisation secretary Takhellambam Parijat Singh, alleged that no visible action has been taken so far to deport illegal immigrants settling in Manipur despite concerns being raised.

The Union questioned whether these immigrants from Myanmar and Bangladesh are being retained for vote bank politics or to serve undisclosed geo-political interests of India.

Despite being aware of the large-scale illegal entry of immigrants into Manipur, the Government of India has failed to take action to deport them, the MMTU charged.

The Union stated that the issue of cross-border movement of people in North East India was recently highlighted by the Director General of Assam Rifles and Tamil Nadu Governor RN Ravi, who warned that such influx is an attempt to facilitate another partition of India.

The MMTU further claimed that Manipur is one such State where illegal immigration has become a serious issue, and yet no effort has been made so far to weed them out.

It also reminded that the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) had on May 19 directed all the States and Union Territories to identify and deport illegal immigrants from Bangladesh and Myanmar but no visible action has been taken up in Manipur.

The issue of illegal immigration has become alarmingly serious in Assam and Mizoram too, prompting the States to intensify its surveillance against cross-border infiltration, MMTU said.

Stating that efforts to identify illegal foreign Nationals are also underway in States like West Bengal, Haryana, Uttarakhand, Uttar Pradesh, and Delhi NCR, the Union said that eight individuals were arrested in Uttar Pradesh on August 22 last for creating forged Aadhaar cards.

The Union further stated that the Uttar Pradesh Government has constituted even a Special Investigation Team (SIT) specifically to identify illegal immigrants.

These immigrants are being added to voter lists for vote bank politics and are even availing benefits from schemes meant exclusively for Indian citizens, the MMTU said.

Alleging that numerous illegal Kuki-Zo immigrants from Myanmar who have been enlisted in the Scheduled Tribe (ST) list are now claiming to be indigenous to Manipur, the Union maintained that the ongoing crisis in Myanmar has led to a continued influx of illegal immigrants.

Not Just from Myanmar, illegal immigrants from Bangladesh also continue to enter North East India, it said.

Saying that over 2500 unauthorised villages were set up in Manipur in between 2017 to 2022 as per a report, the Union added that these these illegal immigrants from Myanmar and Bangladesh tend to settle in areas where people of similar culture and appearance reside.

Illegal immigration in Manipur has become not just a National issue but an international one, the Union said and added that the situation in Manipur serves as a warning to other States.

Geopolitics experts suggest that illegal immigration in North East India may be influenced by foreign elements seeking to destabilize the country, the MMTU said and emphasized that identifying and deporting these illegal immigrants should be the Government's topmost priority.

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