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MHA directs Manipur govt to complete biometric exercise of illegal immigrants
The development is significant in the backdrop of investigating agencies probing the role of illegal migrants in ethnic clashes that have roiled the state since May 3
The Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) on Thursday directed the Manipur government to fasten the process of capturing the biometric details of illegal migrants in the state. Through an order issued on Thursday, the ministry also extended the deadline to complete the exercise by March 31, 2024.
The foreigners division of the home ministry in a letter to the chief secretary said that on May 29, 2023, the Centre had directed the government to quickly prepare a plan and initiate the biometric collection of the illegal migrants and complete the exercise by the end of September.
“It has been informed that the stipulated time period is going to be over on September 30. It has been informed that the exercise is still going on and may require some more time to complete. The matter has been considered in the ministry. In view of the above, it has been decided to extend the time period till March 31, 2024. Accordingly, the state government of Manipur is requested to take appropriate necessary action to complete the exercise within the revised time period,” the order said.
While the state government began the process of capturing the biometrics of illegal migrants in June, they are yet to share data.
The development is significant in the backdrop of investigating agencies probing the role of illegal migrants in ethnic clashes that have roiled the state since May 3.
On August 9, Union home minister Amit Shah told the Parliament that the violence in Manipur was triggered by illegal migrants from Myanmar, who had crossed over to the state.
The National Investigation Agency (NIA) has already registered a case to probe the alleged conspiracy by leaders of Myanmar-based terror outfits to exploit the ethnic unrest in Manipur. NIA filed the case suo motu on July 19.
A team of officials from the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) deputed by the MHA for training of Manipur officials are assisting the state government officials in the biometric capture exercise.
Meanwhile, a fresh spell of violence broke out in Manipur on Tuesday over the killing of two students belonging to the Meitei community who had gone missing in July. Soon after the mobile internet services were restored, the photos of the two students went viral on social media.
This incident led to students and residents coming out on the streets to protest, during which they clashed with police and Rapid Action Force (RAF) personnel. Reportedly, around 25 to 30 demonstrators sustained injuries.
In view of this, the state government on Tuesday reimposed the ban on mobile internet services for five days.
