This takes place in the midst of chaos in Manipur, where the Meitei population claims that Kukis crossed the border from Myanmar illegally, causing disturbance.
According to government sources, everybody entering India from Myanmar will have their biometric information recorded. The government will be able to use this to identify immigrants who will be placed on a “negative biometric list” and prevented from later becoming citizens of India, according to the source.
In addition to this, work is being done to finish the fencing in India and Myanmar border. The fencing around 10 kilometres of the border between Manipur and Mizoram has already been finished. The projects have been assigned to several agencies, and they have been told to finish the border fencing as fast as possible.
The Meitei community claims that Kukis “migrated illegally from across the Myanmar border and are occupying forest land in Manipur”. In March of this year, a number of NGOs staged a protest at the Jantar Mantar in Delhi to call for the enactment of the National Register of Citizens (NRC), with 1951 as the base year.
Over 700 illegal immigrants from Myanmar entered the state of Manipur in just two days from July 22-23, according to a recent report by the Manipur government. On July 24, the Manipur government said that it has asked Assam Rifles to submit a report on how the citizens of Myanmar entered India without the necessary documentation.
The government lead by Chief Minister Biren Singh has committed to address the problem with the utmost care and attention, knowing its sensitivity and the worldwide repercussions.
On the other side, Kukis have argued that the problem of illegal immigration is just a farce and that they have the documentation to show their citizenship. Eviction activities in forest areas, a Meitei demand for ST status, and a protest march against the reservation demand have all resulted in the violence that continues to happen in the northeastern state.
As the two main groups, the majority Meitei and the minority Kuki, fight for control over territory and influence, ethnic violence has thrown the small Indian state of Manipur into what many have labelled a state of civil war.
Since the start of the violence in May, at least 130 people have died and 400 have been injured. As the army, paramilitary forces, and police work to put an end to the violence, more than 60,000 people have been driven from their homes.
Villages have been demolished, hundreds of churches, more than a dozen temples, and police armouries have all been looted.
When Kukis began to protest against Meitei claims for official tribal recognition, which they claimed would increase their already significant influence on the government and society and allow them to purchase land or settle in mostly Kuki districts, tensions reached an extreme point.
