Migrants issue unsettles Naga Students' Federation (NSF)
Source: The Sangai Express / Newmai News Network

Dimapur, October 04 2012: The ballooning population of 'outsiders' in Nagaland especially in the commercial hub Dimapur has taken alarming proportions.

Civil society organisations in Nagaland are actually concerned about the presence of 'illegal Bangladeshi immigrants' .

However, to detect them, a concrete mechanism is yet to be found.

The Naga Students' Federation (NSF) and the Naga Council, Dimapur (NCD) are spending sleepless nights to address this issue in their own respective ways.

Several meetings have been convened by both the organisations in this respect.

Speculations have been doing the round for sometime now that a large number of illegal Bangladeshi immigrants are flooding into Nagaland through Assam.

In the commercial hub Dimapur the population of these immigrants is quite big but officially this fact has not been confirmed.

Majority of the labourers in Dimapur are reportedly from Bangladesh.

Construction works are carried out by these immigrants but when queried about their origins, these labourers would often say they are from Dhubri district of Assam or from Barak Valley, Silchar or even from Karimganj.

File pic of a verification drive underway at Imphal

Talking to Newmai News Network this evening, Naga Students' Federation (NSF) president Kelhouneizo Yhome said since it is a sensitive issue they are dealing it with extra care.

The NSF chief disclosed that it has been one month now that the students' body is collecting 'census' .

"Our federating units are doing the job of collecting census from their respective districts of Nagaland and once it is completed we will chalk out our move to filter the illegal immigrants", stated Mr Yhome while adding, "We are doing with extra care so that the genuine Indians are not affected nor their sentiment is hurt" .

However, it is not clear whether the NSF is taking themselves the census of 'outsiders' or collecting the already recorded official data.

Meanwhile, interestingly on Gandhi Jayanti, the Naga Council, Dimapur (NCD) had launched a 'non-violent campaign aganst illegal Bangladeshi immigrants' in Dimapur.

Quite a sizeable number of people both Nagas and non-Nagas inked their signatories under the slogan, " I pledge that I shall wholly and steadfastly boycott illegal Bangladeshis immigrants (IBIs) socially and economically.

I shall not lease out my premises, including both residential and commercial, to IBIs, as part of my social commitment.

I shall boycott all the business establishments of IBIs who now control the economy of our state and instead patronize fellow Nagas and fellow Indians.

This pledge is borne out of love for my Naga people" .

"I took this pledge to uphold the truth; the truth that Nagas are in danger of losing their Christian character to an alien religion; the truth that Naga identity is in erosion created by a tidal wave of alien culture; the truth that Nagas can be self-reliant, not depending on aliens for their survival; the truth that the well-being of our future generation and survival of Naga identity depends on us taking a historic and firm stand today", it reads.

It can be mentioned here that in the month of August, the Naga Hoho had called upon all the states in the North East India region to unite for flushing out illegal Bangladeshi immigrants from the region.

The Naga Hoho had also said earlier that illegal Bangladeshi immigrants should be flushed from the region by joining and uniting together by all the north eastern states.

"This is the right time to flush out the illegal Bangladeshi immigrants," apex Naga body had said.

Two months ago, the Naga Hoho had also cautioned that someday a Bangladeshi national could manage to become the chief minister of any state in the north east region.