Article: National Register of Citizens and Its Implementation in Manipur
The Manipur Assembly has recently decided to implement the National Register of Citizens (NRC) and set up a State Population Commission (SPC). This decision is in response to demands from 19 apex tribal organizations who penned a letter to the Prime Minister, urging for the implementation of the NRC and other mechanisms to safeguard indigenous people against the mounting number of non-local inhabitants.
Exploring the National Register of Citizens (NRC)
The NRC plays a vital role in distinguishing legal residents from illegal immigrants. Initially established after the 1951 Census of India, the NRC is designed to document all individuals residing in a given village, complete with the numbers and names. Although the register was not updated after 1951, it has been recently revised in Assam and there are plans to update it nationwide.
The overarching goal of the NRC is to separate legitimate residents from illegal immigrants. The task to keep this register updated lies with India’s Registrar General and Census Commissioner.
Manipur’s Push for NRC
Data presented in the Manipur Assembly shows a remarkable population growth between 1971 to 2011. This points to a significant possibility of a considerable influx of non-Indians, predominantly from Myanmar, primarily Kukis-Chin Communities. Apart from these groups, pro-NRC factions have identified Bangladeshis, Muslims from Myanmar, and Nepalis as “outsiders”.
Manipur houses three major ethnic groups: the non-tribal Meitei people and the tribal Naga and Kuki-Zomi groups. These groups, despite a history of conflict, seem to unite on the issue of NRC due to the political crisis in neighbouring Myanmar. They argue that the implementation of NRC is crucial as hundreds of people, mostly from the Kuki-Chin communities, are seeking refuge in the state following the military coup in February 2021.
Other Protective Mechanisms in Manipur
In December 2019, Manipur was the fourth northeastern state to implement the Inner-Line Permit (ILP) system, joining Arunachal Pradesh, Mizoram and Nagaland. The ILP, a temporary travel document allowing Indian citizens into protected areas, was set up under the British-era Bengal Eastern Frontier Regulation.
However, after less than two years, an umbrella organization spearheading the movement claimed the system was defective and called for a stronger mechanism to safeguard indigenous populations.
In June 2021, the Manipur government approved 1961 as the base year to identify “natives” for the purpose of ILP. Many groups are not satisfied with this cut-off year and demand 1951 as the cut-off year for the NRC exercise.
Status of the NRC in Other Northeastern States
Assam is the only state to have updated its NRC in the region, using March 24, 1971, as the cutoff for citizenship. Nagaland has initiated a similar procedure called Register of Indigenous Inhabitants of Nagaland (RIIN) in June 2019 to distinguish indigenous Nagas from non-indigenous ones.
The Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) directed Nagaland, Manipur, Mizoram, Arunachal Pradesh and Border Guarding Force (BGF), i.e., Assam rifles, to prevent illegal migration from Myanmar into India in 2021, repeating similar instructions issued in August 2017 and February 2018.
Manipur, along with other northeastern states, is attempting to protect their indigenous population by implementing different measures like the National Register of Citizens and Inner Line Permit system. These measures aim to control and monitor the influx of outsiders into these regions.