NESO holds sit-in in state
Source: Chronicle News Service

Imphal, August 18 2025: Large number of students on Monday staged a sit-in at Keisamthong in Imphal West district to protest large-scale illegal immigration in the states of the northeast region.

During the sit-in held under the aegis of North East Students' Organisation (NESO), the protesters held placards demanding NRC in the state, resettlement of internally displaced persons, and setting up of a review committee to address abnormal population rise.

A memorandum was also submitted by NESO to Governor Ajay Kumar Bhalla, demanding immediate detection and deportation of illegal immigration, sealing of the India-Bangladesh boundary, and strengthen border control and monitoring.

NESO also demanded that the central and state governments "resolve the ongoing conflict in the state and bring holistic peace at the earliest" .

Regarding Manipur specifically, NESO noted, "the state has been facing the illegal influx from both Myanmar and Bangladesh, which has resulted in demographic imbalance and political instability." The organisation referenced Memorandums of Understanding signed by AMSCOC and a students' organisation with the then Government of Manipur in 1980 and 1994 to "detect and deport the illegal immigrants from the state", but noted these agreements "have still not been implemented" .

The student body criticised the Government of India's response as "inadequate, often limited to temporary or reactionary steps rather than comprehensive, long-term solutions", leaving indigenous peoples to "fend for themselves in protecting their rights, culture, and identity" .

NESO stressed that illegal migration is not merely a political or administrative issue but "a matter of survival for the indigenous communities of the North East", with languages, traditions, cultural practices, and "very existence as distinct peoples" at stake.

The organisation identified state governments as bearing "significant responsibility in this matter", particularly noting that states where the Bengal Eastern Frontier Regulation 1873 is not applicable are "especially susceptible to infiltration and must adopt robust mechanisms for prevention, detection, and deportation of illegal migrants" .

Among NESO's key demands included implementing strict measures for immediate detection and deportation of illegal migrants, sealing of the Indo-Bangla border, strengthening border control with adequate security personnel and modern surveillance technology, and coordinating with neighbouring states to prevent migrants from being simply relocated within the region.

The organisation also called for preserving indigenous rights, culture, language, political and land ownership through appropriate legal safeguards, establishing a Special Review Committee to address population explosion in certain areas, and resolving the ongoing Manipur conflict to bring "holistic peace to the state at the earliest" .

NESO warned that "demographic and cultural changes already visible in parts of our region are warnings of an existential crisis", stating that without strong and sustained measures, "the very identity of the North East's indigenous peoples could be irreversibly altered" .

The memorandum concluded with an appeal to the Government of India and state governments to treat the issue with the seriousness and urgency it demands, expressing trust that authorities will act with vision and determination to address the matter.

Comment