The Manipur government on Sunday said that it will conduct house-to-house surveys to identify undocumented immigrants once a population commission is constituted in the state, reported The Indian Express.
The state government is planning to establish the Manipur State Population Commission through an Ordinance. An Ordinance is a temporary law passed by the president or a governor when Parliament or a state Assembly is not in session.
On Sunday, Manipur Chief Minister N Biren Singh said that action will be taken under the provisions of the Foreigners Act and the Inner Line Permit System against those found sheltering undocumented immigrants during the survey.
An Inner Line Permit is a travel document that people from outside the state must show as they enter Manipur.
The chief minister claimed that the influx of undocumented immigrants has reached alarming proportions in Manipur.
He added that over 600 undocumented immigrants and people without valid Inner Line Permits were apprehended in multiple drives by the police in the last few days, according to The Imphal Press.
Singh also said that the police also caught two Bangladeshi citizens – Mohammed Anwar Hussain and his son Mohammed Amzad Ali – who were posing as locals since 1990. He said they had obtained driving licences and Aadhaar cards.
“The government alone cannot succeed in the fight against illegal influx,” the chief minister said, according to The Indian Express. “We need the support of the people to protect and safeguard indigenous populations.”
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