Amid violence, Manipur govt cracks down on illegal Myanmar immigrants; know state’s big move

As the government of Manipur continues to face backlash from the Opposition against the ethnic violence in the state, occurring between the Kuki and the Meitei community, the state government has decided to make a big move against the illegal immigrants from Myanmar who have entered Manipur.

Earlier, reports have revealed that nearly 800 illegal immigrants from Myanmar had entered Manipur in the span of just two days when the state remained torn due to ethnic violence. These immigrants had entered the state without holding any proper documentation.

The state government recently said in a statement that the authorities in Manipur have started gathering the biometric data of all the illegal Myanmar citizens in the area, making this the first step to controlling illegal immigration in the state.

The capture and cumulating of the biometric data of the illegal immigrants in Manipur is expected to be over by September-end, according to the official statement of the Manipur Home Department.

The official statement issued by the Manipur Home Department reads, “The campaign will continue in all districts until biometric data of all illegal Myanmar immigrants in the state are successfully captured. The same is targeted for completion by September 2023.”

The state of Manipur has been in the middle of an ethnic war between two communities since May 3. The clashes broke out between the Kuki and the Meitei community when the latter demanded to be included in the scheduled tribe's section, granting them reservations for government jobs, land, and other facilities, which till now only the Kukis had enjoyed.

After the reports revealed that nearly 800 illegal immigrants from Maynmar had made their way into Manipur in the midst of the ethnic violence, the state government raised an alarm, since this could be a way to smuggle in arms and ammunition, adding fuel to the fire in the middle of the ethnic violence in the state.

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