Call for NRC & state’s indifference
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Is Manipur heading towards another phase of turbulent mass agitation? No doubt, the civil society is not happy with the response of the state to the ardent call for updating the National Register of Citizens or NRC in short with regard to the state of Manipur. The Campaign for Just and Fair Delimitation has already set a timeframe for the government to adopt a concrete decision on identification of illegal immigrants living in the state by August 6. They have also made it clear that Imphal valley, if not the whole state, will witness an unprecedented scale of mass agitation after August 6 in case the government fails to take some concrete steps within the given timeframe. What has pained the civil society is the report that the government has completed all preparations to launch the census exercise from August 17 while it is literally sleeping on the popular demand for updating the NRC. Civil society organisations have been asking the government to take a decision to identify illegal immigrants before carrying out the population count, and it undoubtedly implies that any census exercise should be preceded by identification of illegal immigrants. If the government’s response or non-response so far is any indication, it is in no mood to address the people’s growing concern and anxiety. Many civil society organisations have made it clear that they have no objection to the census exercise per se but it must be preceded by identification and deportation of all illegal immigrants from the state. The call to first identify illegal immigrants is fuelled by genuine and legitimate concerns over the threats posed by illegal immigrants to indigenous people. It was none other than Union Home Minister Amit Shah who stated that illegal immigrants had their hands in the violent Manipur crisis. As testified by the prolonged violent crisis in which illegal immigrants played a key role as admitted by the Union Home Minister, the threats posed by illegal immigrants to the indigenous people are no longer a figment of imagination but a harsh reality.
Influx of immigrants is not something new in Manipur but it has been going on for decades. At the height of the violent crisis which broke out in May 2023, then Chief Minister N Biren revealed that as many as 996 villages sprang up across Manipur since 2006. N Biren went on to assert that these new villages were set up by illegal immigrants after encroaching into forests and un-surveyed hill areas. For quite a long time, the influx has been going on and people have a nagging suspicion whether the immigration and settlement of immigrants are patronized by local politicians. This nagging suspicion is only growing in the face of the government’s cold shoulder response to the popular demand for identification of illegal immigrants. In fact, it were the multiple challenges and threats posed by the burgeoning illegal immigrant population to the indigenous people on all fronts––demographic, socio-political, economic and security–– which gave rise to the vigorous campaign for updating the NRC. If the challenges posed by illegal immigrants must be addressed comprehensively, they must be identified and deported. If not, they must not be given citizenship rights. However, if the census operations are carried out without first updating the NRC or identifying the illegal immigrants, there is a strong possibility of legalizing the illegal immigrants, naturalizing their citizenship and in turn, legitimizing their political demands. If the illegal immigrants are taken into the count in the upcoming census operations, it may give them space and even rights to challenge the political structure of the state. This will have serious implications and disastrous consequences to the indigenous people, irrespective of community and ethnicity, which will be irreversible. If the government is deadly opposed to the idea of updating the NRC, it needs to come out with a practical mechanism to identify and deport illegal immigrants. It is true that the government may not or cannot address every single demand of CSOs. But there are certain issues which demand undivided attention and urgent action from the government. The government needs to study the legitimacy and gravity of every issue. We believe the issue of illegal immigrants is a legitimate and genuine one which demands urgent and appropriate response from the authorities. At the same time, the state must shed its attitude of addressing an issue only when there is public unrest and sustained mass agitation.
Influx of immigrants is not something new in Manipur but it has been going on for decades. At the height of the violent crisis which broke out in May 2023, then Chief Minister N Biren revealed that as many as 996 villages sprang up across Manipur since 2006. N Biren went on to assert that these new villages were set up by illegal immigrants after encroaching into forests and un-surveyed hill areas. For quite a long time, the influx has been going on and people have a nagging suspicion whether the immigration and settlement of immigrants are patronized by local politicians. This nagging suspicion is only growing in the face of the government’s cold shoulder response to the popular demand for identification of illegal immigrants. In fact, it were the multiple challenges and threats posed by the burgeoning illegal immigrant population to the indigenous people on all fronts––demographic, socio-political, economic and security–– which gave rise to the vigorous campaign for updating the NRC. If the challenges posed by illegal immigrants must be addressed comprehensively, they must be identified and deported. If not, they must not be given citizenship rights. However, if the census operations are carried out without first updating the NRC or identifying the illegal immigrants, there is a strong possibility of legalizing the illegal immigrants, naturalizing their citizenship and in turn, legitimizing their political demands. If the illegal immigrants are taken into the count in the upcoming census operations, it may give them space and even rights to challenge the political structure of the state. This will have serious implications and disastrous consequences to the indigenous people, irrespective of community and ethnicity, which will be irreversible. If the government is deadly opposed to the idea of updating the NRC, it needs to come out with a practical mechanism to identify and deport illegal immigrants. It is true that the government may not or cannot address every single demand of CSOs. But there are certain issues which demand undivided attention and urgent action from the government. The government needs to study the legitimacy and gravity of every issue. We believe the issue of illegal immigrants is a legitimate and genuine one which demands urgent and appropriate response from the authorities. At the same time, the state must shed its attitude of addressing an issue only when there is public unrest and sustained mass agitation.