Manipur Govt may seek more time to record biometrics of illegal migrants from Myanmar

The Manipur government is likely to seek more time for the completion of the process of recording the biometrics of illegal migrants from Myanmar. The process of capturing the biometric details of illegal Myanmar immigrants started in Manipur on July 29. The central government had earlier asked the state to complete it by the end of September.

The Union Ministry of Home Affairs has deputed a team from the National Crime Records Bureau to train and handhold state government officials on capturing the biometric information of the legal migrants lodged at a detention centre in Imphal.

On Friday, chief minister N Biren Singh, after his return from New Delhi, said in Imphal that the state government would be seeking an extension of the deadline. He had earlier said that Myanmar immigrants were responsible for deforestation, poppy cultivation and drug menace in the state.


Around 35,000 people from Myanmar have taken refuge in Mizoram since the military coup in February 2021. Another 1,000 people from the Chittagong Hill Tracts of Bangladesh had also come to Mizoram, according to state government officials.

Manipur has been caught in an ethnic strife since May 3. The government has blamed illegal migrants from Myanmar for the developments.