N. Biren Singh warns of undocumented immigrants threatening Manipur's identity

Former Manipur chief minister N Biren Singh has said the “unregulated influx of undocumented immigrants” led to unprecedented rise of new settlements and villages in the state, threatening the identity and existence of indigenous people.

In a letter to Governor Ajay Kumar Bhalla on Tuesday evening, Singh said the BJP-led government in Manipur has conducted verification drives, identified undocumented settlements, detained or deported hundreds of illegal immigrants since 2017.

"The formation of a cabinet sub-committee, use of modern technology, satellite mapping, and grassroots intelligence networks have strengthened these efforts," he said.

Singh said that 5,457 illegal immigrants have been detected, mostly from Myanmar, after the formation of a three-member cabinet sub-committee in 2023.

"Unregulated influx of undocumented immigrants have led to unprecedented rise of new settlements and villages, especially in tribal and forested areas and encroachment in reserved forests lands, and rise in identity-based tensions and unrests as these illegal immigrants are well armed and funded by poppy/drugs cartel," the former CM said in the letter.

It has also put pressure on public services including education, housing and healthcare, he said.

"Historically, military coups in Myanmar have triggered significant cross-border movement into Indian territory, especially in Manipur, due to the porous border of 398 km," he said.

Singh said the presence of illegal immigrants from Myanmar and Bangladesh has led to large-scale poppy cultivation in the hill areas of the state.

Between 2017 and 2023, more than 15,715 acres of illegal poppy cultivation have been destroyed, he stated.

“The significant increase in drug seizures and intensified crackdown on drug cartels have disrupted the operations of armed groups based in Myanmar and operating in Manipur, leading to a surge in riots and unrest within the state, as they seek to resist the stringent measures of the BJP-led government,” Singh added.