TMB Report
Imphal: Demanding implementation of National Register of Citizens (NRC) and establishment of Manipur Population Commission, volunteers of six students’ bodies attempted to storm the Raj Bhavan and Chief Minister Bungalow on Monday. However, police foiled the attempt of the student protesters.
A large number of students mobilised by the six students’ bodies gathered in front of Nupi Lal complex at about 11.30 AM and took out a mass rally from there in a bid to storm the CM
Secretariat. But a team of Imphal West Police blocked the protesters.
The protesters also attempted to storm the Raj Bhavan and Thambal Shanglen. When the agitating students reached Keishampat, a police team blocked the rally from further proceeding. A minor scuffle took place between the police and the protesters there. However, police tactfully controlled the protesters and forced them back.
The protesters held placards reading “Implement NRC in Manipur”, “Set up Manipur Population Commission”, “Foreigners cannot be owner of land”, “Identify illegal infiltrators” “Save environment”, “Protect indigenous rights and future” etc.
DESAM President Lamyanba while talking to reporters demanded the State Government to translate the Cabinet decision taken earlier to enact NRC and Manipur Population Commission into action, saying Citizenship Act, 1955 prescribes enactment of NRC and the Supreme Court also permitted implementation of NRC in the country as well.
Contending that population growth rate of Manipur has outnumbered the national population growth rate; Lamyanba said that according to Census 2001 and Census 2011, the national population growth rate of the country pegged at 20 percent.
He pointed out that the growth rate in the highly crowded valley pegged at 17 percent while the hill area saw a staggering growth rate of 38 percent.
The hill areas of the State have witnessed an amazing and unnatural population growth. If the government fails to control the establishment of new villages in the hill areas including the Reserved Forest by illegal infiltrators from Myanmar, Bangladesh and Nepal, indigenous people of the State will face a serious impact in coming years, he observed.
Claiming that sorting out of illegal immigrants will not be possible without implementation of NRC, he demanded the government to implement NRC in the State at the earliest to detect and deport the illegal immigrants.
He also demanded the government to safeguard the identity and future of the indigenous people and to protect the environment from the flooding of illegal immigrants.
He said that illegal immigrants from other States of the country and abroad have been impacting upon the identity, culture, economy, administration and environment of the State.
He further said that the State Government should immediately take up measures to detect, delete and deport the illegal immigrants from neighboring countries mainly Myanmar, Nepal and Bangladesh and pressurise the Centre to implement NRC in the State.
The government should evict the illegal encroachers who are establishing new villages in the Reserved Forest and protect the land and environment of the indigenous people. Protection of the environment is must for the welfare of all, however, a few vested groups of people are trying to communalise the matter. The government should teach them that there is rule of law, he said.
Lamyanba also demanded the government to award capital punishment to the poppy growers, saying poppy has been planted widespread in the hill areas of the State and several illegal immigrants have even established new villages in the Reserved Forest.
The government is unable to evict such illegal encroachers. The students’ bodies will continue to stage protests until the demands are fulfilled, he added.
