MMTU bats for NRC with 1951 as base year
Source: The Sangai Express

Imphal, May 04 2026: The first ever Nationwide National Register of Citizens (NRC) was prepared in 1951 based on the Census Act, 1948, and hence the register of citizens may be updated for Manipur with 1951 as the base year, the Meetei (Meitei) Tribe Union (MMTU) has said in a statement.

Putting to rest the question whether the NRC was ever prepared for Manipur, the MMTU said the NRC for all of India including Manipur was prepared in the year 1951 .

The first ever census of India after independence was conducted in 1951, and it recorded 11 specific information (out of 14 sought) including details such as domicile of individual citizens.

The record thus compiled in two sets was the first National Register of Citizens (NRC), MMTU said.

It continued that the NRC in Assam was updated recently under the Citizenship Rules, 2003 and in accordance with the provisions of the Citizenship Act, 1955 .

The Citizenship Act, 1955 determines the citizenship of an individual in India.

The NRC updation exercise in Assam was done with 1971 as the base year, aiming to identify illegal immigrants who migrated to Assam after March 24, 1971 .

The MMTU said the NRC exercise identified two sets of individuals - Indian citizens and Foreigners.

The Foreigners Tribunal under the Foreigners Act, 1946, amended in 1948 and 2005, determined who were the foreigners.

The Foreigners Act, 1946 has now been replaced by the Immigration and Foreigners Act, 2025 .

If the NRC is updated in Manipur, the exercise will identify three sets of individuals - Manipur Citizens, Indian Citizens and Foreigners.

This is because of the implementation of the Inner Line Permit system in 2019, said the MMTU.

Manipur has faced waves of influx of immigrants from Myanmar, then Burma.

But, identifying and segregating the indigenous people from immigrants or foreigners will not be as complex as it is perceived to be, said the MMTU.

"Those who entered Manipur before or during the 1840s are citizens.

Those who entered the State after 1951 or against India's Foreigners laws are foreigners," MMTU said.

There are refugees who have settled in Manipur after seeking refuge, it said.

In 1955, around 6,000 Paite individuals from Burma's Chin hills were allowed to settle in Manipur following a request by the Paite National Council, said the MMTU.

In 1973, a large number of Kuki refugees were allowed to settle in Manipur after the Burma Kuki Refugee Association made a request to the then Government of India, it added.

While then Outer Manipur MP P Haokip had urged the Union Home Minister to allow refugees from Myanmar to settle in Manipur, in 1951 and 1956, thousands of Hmar refugees entered Manipur and settled in Jiribam.

These are all glaring evidence of foreigners entering Manipur and settling, said the MMTU.

As the influx of illegal immigrants continued in waves in 1962, 1988, 1993, 2001 and to this day, "these immigrants are now occupying nearly 2/3 of the total hill areas of Manipur," asserted the union.

The immigrants from Myanmar are now fomenting trouble and carrying out terrorist attacks on the indigenous people in Manipur and they have even demanded a Separate Administration of their own.

Moreover, they have not stopped bringing in people from across the border, said the MMTU.

Considering the issues facing Manipur bom out of illegal immigrants, the State and the Government of India must take appropriate actions to resolve it, said the MMTU.

India is not a signatory to the 1951 UN Refugee Convention, and as such it must take appropriate steps.

Apart from taking steps to identify foreigners, "our politicians and the Government of India may consider signing a treaty [with Myanmar] to actively deport the immigrants," the union said.

The NRC, updated in Assam, identified lakhs of Bangladeshi foreigners.

But, these foreigners have not been deported yet are still in Assam, said the MMTU, emphasising the importance of signing a treaty for effective deportation.

The MMTU, in its statement, urged "our politicians" not to do vote bank politics.

The union said it is disappointed with MP Bimol Akoijam for making remarks that could "mislead" the people on the NRC issue.

It urged all the politicians in the State to collectively push for steps to identify foreigners in Manipur.

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