Imphal, August 18: The North East Students’ Organisation (NESO) on Monday staged sit-in demonstrations across all state capitals of the region, including Imphal, demanding urgent measures to curb illegal immigration and safeguard the indigenous population.
In Imphal, the protest was organised jointly by NESO and the All Manipur Students’ Union (AMSU). Demonstrators called for the detection and deportation of illegal immigrants, along with constitutional safeguards to protect the cultural, political, and demographic interests of the region’s indigenous communities.
Addressing the media, NESO Assistant General Secretary W. Sanatomba said unchecked immigration had created a “democratic imbalance and political instability” in the Northeast. He cited examples of the Tripuri community becoming a minority in Tripura and Assam grappling with large-scale infiltration, adding that Manipur too was facing severe impacts from migrants from both Myanmar and Bangladesh.
Sanatomba argued that the root cause of Manipur’s ongoing conflict was linked to unchecked migration and urged authorities to implement the National Register of Citizens (NRC) across the state. He stressed that delimitation in Manipur should only be carried out after the NRC process is completed.
