'Identify illegals then census'
Source: The Sangai Express

Imphal, August 11 2025: Rajya Sabha MP Leishemba Sanajaoba has drawn the attention of Parliament to first detect, identify and deport illegal immigrants from Myanmar and Bangladesh based on 1961 as the cut-off year before the National census and delimitation exercise are taken up.

Addressing Parliament today, the MP highlighted the severity of the infiltrations that have occurred over the decades, and said it would be "very unfortunate" for the indigenous people of Manipur if the census operation is carried out before detection and deportation of the illegal immigrants.

Leishemba said illegal immigrants from Myanmar and Bangladesh have already settled in different parts of Manipur, and as such they must be detected and identified and deported before any census or delimitation exercises are conducted.

Even though the Ministry of Home Affairs had directed the States and Union Territories (UTs) to detect, identify and deport illegal Myanmarese and Bangladeshis within one month with effect from May 19, 2025, no concrete steps in this line have been seen taken up by the Government ofManipur till date, Leishemba said.

The MP cautioned that conducting a census operation and a delimitation based on it before resolving the issue of illegal immigrants will cause social unrest in Manipur and it would also mean forfeiture of the Constitutional Rights of the indigenous Manipuris.

He further pointed out that the previous censuses of 2001 and 2011 pertaining to Manipur are controversial in nature and these exercises had detected abnormal increase in the population in many places of the State.

In three sub-divisions of Senapati district, there had been "an extraordinary quantum jump of population" by 202.88 percent between 2001 and 2011, Leishemba said.

The population in Mao-Maram subdivision jumped from 39.16 percent in the 2001 census to 136.33 percent in 2011 .

The population in Paomata jumped from 39.17 percent in 2001 to 99 percent in 2011 .

The population in Purul jumped from 39.16 percent to 120.38 percent in 2011 .

Moreover, the census report of 1991 and 2001 also witnessed abnormal growth of population in seven hill districts, Leishemba continued.

Between 1991 and 2001, the population of Chakpi-Karong jumped 100.18 percent.

During the same period, the population of Machi jumped by 65.46 percent.

The population of Kamjong jumped by 60.95 percent.

The population of Tengnoupal jumped by 54.48 percent.

The population of Saitu-Gamphajol jumped by 54.12 percent.

The population of Chandel jumped by 41.70 percent.

The population of Churachandpur jumped by 40.77 percent.

"Considering all these facts and figures, I urge the Union Government to detect, identify and deport the illegal foreign Nationals first, based on 1961 as the cut-off year, before conducting census and delimitation process," Leishemba said.

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