NE wary of illegal immigrant influx
NRC DRAFT Assam neighbours reinforce security on the borders to prevent entry of those deemed nonIndians in the citizen registry
This week’s publication of the final draft of Assam’s National Register of Citizens (NRC), which left out four million applicants, has put many northeastern states on the edge and prompted them to reinforce security on the borders to prevent infiltration.
While Manipur has taken measures to prevent the entry of those deemed illegal into the state, Nagaland, Tripura and Meghalaya are demanding their own versions of the NRC to identify and deport illegal immigrants. The North East Students Organisation (NESO), the region’s biggest student body, wants NRC to be extended to all states in the region. “We have seen the quantum of the problem in Assam and this should not spill over to other states,” NESO chairman Samuel Jyrwa said.
The final list of the NRC draft will be released at a later date once all claims and objections of those left out are settled, but states in regions bordering Assam are already jittery about the possible fallout.
MANIPUR
In Manipur, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-led state government formed two committees, at the state level and in districts, on Thursday, to monitor the entry or presence of illegal immigrants in the state following the publication of the final draft of the NRC for Assam on Monday.
Chief minister N Biren Singh sadi the committees will initiate steps for the verification of illegal immigrants in Manipur with immediate effect. “The state government has also opened a police check post at Imphal airport since Monday to prevent entry of illegal migrants,” Singh said.
NAGALAND
The state’s home department has issued an advisory to municipal, town and village committees to keep tabs on the entry of people from outside the state following the NRC draft publication.
Since there are restrictions on entry into Nagaland similar to those in Arunachal Pradesh, the government wants residents to promptly notify district administrations and police about any “unusual influx of outsiders”.
The state’s Nationalist Democratic Progressive Party-led government, of which the BJP is a part, is considering an NRC survey for the state as illegal migration is becoming a key issue.
ARUNACHAL
On Thursday, the All Arunachal Pradesh Students Union (AAPSU), the state’s apex student body, issued an ultimatum to all non-APSTs (people who are not Arunachal Pradesh ST residents) without valid documents to leave the state by August 16.
As per the rules, Indian citizens need to have an inner line permit (ILP) to visit or stay in the state, which borders China, and foreigners need to have a restricted area permit (RAP).
Wary about the presence of illegal migrants in Arunachal following the publication of the Assam NRC draft, the students body plans to launch an ‘Operative Clean Drive’ from August 17 against Indians and foreigners staying in the state illegally.
“We surveyed the state’s border areas and found that nearly 50,000 people, many of whose names didn’t appear in the NRC first draft released on December 31 last year, have entered illegally in the past few months,” said AAPSU convenor Tatung Taga.
“Since there are restrictions for entry into our state and presence of illegal migrants could create law and order problems, we are requesting them to either get ILPs before the deadline or leave Arunachal Pradesh,” he added.
GUWAHATI:
MEGHALAYA
In Meghalaya, a delegation of the Khasi Students Union (KSU) met deputy chief minister Prestone Tynsong on Wednesday and sought an NRC-like exercise for the state to protect its indigenous tribes’ rights.
On Tuesday, KSU activists set up three checkpoints at areas bordering Assam to detect illegal immigrants and prevent their entry. Reports say nearly 1,000 people with “questionable antecedents” were detected.
TRIPURA
In Tripura, while chief minister Biplab Deb has ruled out the need for an NRC, the BJP-led government’s ally, Indigenous Peoples Front of Tripura (IPFT), wants such an exercise.
“We observe August 23 every year as the day to reiterate our demand for a separate Tipraland. This year, at a rally to mark the day at Khumulwung, we will also press for NRC in our state,” IPFT vice-president Ananta Debbarma said.