1951 will be considered base year for NRC, says Manipur home minister Konthoujam

Govindas further informed the House that the state government will pursue the matter with the Centre in line with the resolution

Manipur home minister Govindas Konthoujam informed the assembly on Monday that 1951 will be the base year for National Register of Citizens (NRC) update in the state.

Govindas further informed the House that the state government will pursue the matter with the Centre in line with the resolution adopted by the assembly last week.

He made the remark while responding to a query raised by opposition MLA Keisham Meghachandra Singh.

He further informed the House that the records of the 1951 NRC are being traced. He said that the state government alone cannot implement the NRC without the approval of the Government of India. As per the resolution adopted by the House on August 5, 2022, the Manipur State Population Commission has already been constituted.

He said, “The issue of NRC should not be taken lightly. The NRC has been implemented in Assam, but it could not still be kept in the public domain. The matter has been pending in the court. The state government has already pursued the central government to introduce the NRC in the State. The State Government again pursued the Central Government as per the assembly resolution on March 1, 2024 reaffirming its earlier resolution. Again on 2nd September, 2026, the House unanimously passed a resolution reaffirming its earlier decisions. We need to cautiously move the centre so that it would not failed like that of Assam.”

Responding to another question raised by Opposition MLA Th Lokeshwar Singh on account of the issue of illegal immigrants in the State, the home minister informed the House that a total of 24,475 illegal immigrants have been detected in the state so far. Out of these, 6,545 were detected in Kamjong district, 3,560 in Tengnoupal district and 14,370 in Chandel district.

Replying to a supplementary question, he said that some illegal immigrants have been pushed back while some still took shelter here, and that this process is carried out through diplomatic channels.

He informed the House that the state already adopted a plan and that a 12-member committee was constituted on August 7, 2024, under the chairmanship of former minister Awangbow Newmai, to detect and identify the influx of illegal immigrants and the unnatural growth of new villages.

The minister further said that the government also issued an order on the Action Taken Report of the committee.

He added that on 16th February, 2023, a Cabinet sub-committee was constituted under the chairmanship of former tribal affairs minister Letpao Haokip, with former ministers Awangbow Newmai and Th Basanta Kumar Singh as members.

The home minister also said that the State Home Department also constituted an official Executive Committee on March 24, 2023, headed by commissioner S. Chourasia, with IGP K. Kabib, DCs, SPs, SDOs and SDPOs as members, to carry out verification of illegal immigrants and to assist the Cabinet sub-committee. He said that the verification drive, which had already started, could not be continued due to the unprecedented crisis that broke out on May 3, 2023 communal clash between Meitei and Kuki.

He further informed the House that out of the total 24,475 illegal immigrants detected, 14,992 have been pushed back. In Kamjong district, 5,378 out of 6,545 have been pushed back to their country, while the remaining 1,167 have been kept in temporary shelters.

In Tengnoupal district, only 14 out of 3,560 have been pushed back, while the remaining 3,546 have been strictly instructed to be looked after by the respective deputy commissioner after taking their biometric records, so that they cannot move to other places. In Chandel district, 9,600 out of 14,370 illegal immigrants have been pushed back to the Myanmar side, and biometric records of 1,308 out of the remaining 4,770 have been taken.

He said that these illegal immigrants are presently kept in temporary shelters. In Kamjong district, 1,167 immigrants are kept at Namli, Wanglee, Kaka, Zoro, Iko, Skipi, Huimin Thana and Phaikoh. In Tengnoupal district, 3,546 immigrants are sheltering in Sadang village areas along the Indo-Myanmar border. In Chandel district, 4,770 immigrants are kept at Molcham, Gamphajol, Khangtung, L. Nampao, Yaingol, Bongjang, Kheljang, New Lajang and nearby villages.

Additionally, Govindas informed the House that the government has already instructed the respective deputy commissioners to segregate the illegal immigrants from the local Indian communities.