Ukhrul, September 2: The Foothill Naga Coordination Committee (FNCC) reiterated its demand to implement the National Register of Citizens (NRC) in letter and spirit in Manipur while emphasizing that the menace of illegal immigration must be addressed with utmost seriousness. It also demanded dismantling of illegal Kuki villages, and deportation of identified illegal immigrants without delay.
The FNCC, in a statement issued on Tuesday, warned that failure to do so will force it to hit the streets in the Naga-inhabited areas. The government will be held responsible for any eventuality, it stated.
As per the FNCC statement, in Kangpokpi Sub-Division Kuki villages increased from 179 in 1969 to 721 in 2023, a 303% rise.
“This unnatural growth is the outcome of deliberate manipulation by Kuki refugees within government establishments, fabricating documents and altering records to consolidate demographic dominance,” the FNCC stated.
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The FNCC questioned what concrete measures have the Government of India and the Government of Manipur taken to address the demographic exploitation engineered by the Kukis, who continue to invite illegal immigrants and refugees from Myanmar under the cover of kindred ties.
“Since its inception as one of the 19 states of India in 1972, Manipur has been a theatre of recurring conflicts rooted in deliberate demographic manipulations and exploitation by Kuki illegal immigrants and refugees. The Kuki–Naga conflict (1993–1998), the Kuki–Paite conflict (1997), and the ongoing Kuki–Meitei conflict (since 2023), sponsored by Kuki politicians and their militant groups, all bear testimony to one common crux: the systematic attempt to alter Manipur’s indigenous equilibrium through demographic engineering and the forceful subsumption of smaller communities under the Kuki identity,” the FNCC statement mentioned.
“The Manipur government’s Cabinet Sub-Committee to identify unlawful immigrants and new villages contributing to deforestation and illegal encroachment in 2023 was, ironically, headed by Letpao Haokip, who belonged to the very community that sheltered these illegal entrants. The credibility of such a body is therefore deeply compromised, and illegal villages continue to mushroom in Manipur without restraint,” it stated.
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The FNCC further alleged that despite the Manipur Legislative Assembly resolution to form a 12-member House Committee under Rule 305(a) to inquire into the influx of illegal immigrants and the unnatural growth of villages in August 2024, the ground reality remains unchanged, as illegal Kuki villages continue to mushroom across the state with impunity.
“The scale of infiltration was confirmed by Lt Gen Vikas Lakhera, Director General of Assam Rifles, who disclosed that nearly 42,000 individuals from Myanmar have entered India since December 31, 2024. While biometric mapping has been done, this exposes the enormity of the demographic threat confronting Manipur,” it added.
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