New Delhi, July 11: The Union Home Ministry has instructed the governments of Manipur and Mizoram to collect the biographic and biometric details, including retina, iris, and fingerprints, of illegal migrants in the states. The directive was issued by Home Secretary Ajay Kumar Bhalla in a letter dated June 22. The ministry has set a deadline of September 30 for completing this exercise.
The move comes in the wake of ethnic violence that erupted in Manipur on May 3, resulting in the deaths of over 140 people and the displacement of more than 54,000 individuals. Following the military coup in Myanmar earlier this year, a significant number of refugees have sought shelter in Mizoram, with around 4,000 entering Manipur. These refugees belong to the Kuki-Chin-Zo ethnic group and have close ties with the communities in Mizoram and Manipur.
The letter from the Home Ministry also stated that a campaign to capture biometric data of illegal migrants in Manipur and Mizoram should be completed by the end of September 2023. Rajkumar Imo Singh, a legislator from Manipur, shared the letter on Twitter and mentioned that the state government had already started the campaign, identifying nearly 2,500 illegal migrants. Singh also suggested that this initiative could be a step towards implementing the National Register of Citizens (NRC).
This has already been published in the paper recently, GOI has undertaken the task to identify illegal migrants across Manipur and Mizoram by capturing biometric data which is to be completed by 30th September. State government had already started this earlier this year due to… pic.twitter.com/ir0Jh765ed
— Rajkumar Imo Singh (@imosingh) July 10, 2023
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The Home Ministry emphasized that it had previously issued detailed instructions and guidelines on overstay and illegal migration of foreign nationals. The guidelines, issued on March 30, 2021, were circulated again on October 21, 2022, for compliance by all state governments.
The ministry also reminded the Chief Secretaries of Nagaland, Manipur, Mizoram, and Arunachal Pradesh to take appropriate action to prevent illegal influx from Myanmar into India, highlighting that India is not a signatory to the United Nations Refugee Convention.
The governments of Manipur and Mizoram have appointed Nodal Officers to enter the collected data into the centralized illegal foreigner portal maintained by the Bureau of Immigration and the Home Ministry.
Manipur Chief Minister N. Biren Singh, in a television interview, attributed the ongoing violence to illegal migrants from Myanmar. A report prepared by Churachandpur Superintendent of Police Karthik Malladi stated that 10 individuals from Myanmar were receiving treatment at a district hospital in Churachandpur district for injuries caused by explosives and bullets. The injured individuals are from Tamu in Myanmar.
As the situation continues to unfold, it is crucial for the authorities to address the issue of illegal migration effectively and ensure the safety and well-being of all communities in Manipur and Mizoram.
