Manipur must be excluded from CAA : JCILPS
Source: The Sangai Express

Imphal, February 01 2024: Reacting to the recent assertion of a Union Minister that the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) would be implemented across the country soon, the Joint Committee on Inner Line Permit System (JCILPS) has categorically stated that Manipur must be excluded from the purview of the State.

Reminding that a letter sent by the Ministry of Home Affairs, Foreigners Division on September 27, 2020 stated that the CAA would not be implemented in States/areas where ILP is in force under the Bengal Eastern Frontier Regulation, 1873 .

But the recent announcement by the Union Minister has created confusion among the people, said a press release issued by JCILPS.

When the Government of India pushed hard for the Citizenship Amendment Bill in both the Houses of the Parliament in 2018, there was a strong people's movement in Manipur against the same move.

The massive protest movement was spearheaded by the Manipur Against Citizenship Amendment (MANPAC) 2016, it recalled.

It said that Manipur has been already witnessing population explosion due to incessant influx of illegal immigrants from Myanmar, Bangladesh and domestic migrants from other parts of India.

A people's convention of the North Eastern States viz; Manipur, Assam, Nagaland, Meghalaya, Arunachal Pradesh, Tripura and Mizoram was held at the City Convention Centre, Imphal and the North East Federation of Indigenous People (NEFIP) was formed at the convention, it said.

NEFIP, a common platform of the North Eastern States, adopted a collective decision against CAB.

Subsequent upon a massive and sustained people's movement, the Inner Line Permit System was extended to Manipur by a Presidential order issued on December 11, 2019 .

With the Chin-Kuki narco-terrorists from Myanmar waging a war against the Meeteis, Manipur is literally burning at the moment, the JCILPS said.

During this critical period, one Union Minister announced that CAA would be implemented across the country soon.

If the Government of India is planning to implement CAA across the country including Manipur, the same plan must be reviewed at the earliest otherwise there will be strong people's protest movements, it warned.

Even if the Government of India is determined to implement CAA, Manipur must be left out.

The particular Union Minister's announcement to implement CAA across the country at a time when the people of Manipur have been demanding urgent updating of the NRC and identification of illegal immigrants has bred deep resentment and anger among the people, it said.

The people of Manipur oppose CAA and it must not be implemented in the State, the JCILPS added.

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