Imphal: Two Kuki organisations have strongly condemned recent remarks of Lt. Gen. Vikas Lakhera, director general of Assam Rifles (DGAR), that around 42,000 outsiders had crossed into Manipur from Myanmar since December 2024 and that their biometrics had been collected.
The Kuki Organization for Human Rights Trust (KOHUR) and the Kuki-Zo Council (KZC) warned that such statements could deepen communal divides and stigmatize entire communities.
They issued separate press releases on Thursday, taking exception to the claim by Lt. Gen. Vikas Lakhera.
DGAR was addressing at a lecture programme held at Manipur University, Canchipur, Imphal on Wednesday. The programme was conducted under the topic “Geopolitical developmental in Myanmar and its impact on Indo-Myanmar border with special focus on Manipur.”
KOHUR described the DGAR’s statement as “unbecoming and irresponsible,” arguing that it fuels suspicion in a state already fractured by ethnic conflict. “If these people are indeed illegal entrants, then how were their biometrics obtained? And if biometrics were duly recorded, how can they still be branded illegal?” the trust asked, questioning security lapses at the border and calling the claim “riddled with contradictions.”
The group also linked the controversy to the Free Movement Regime (FMR), saying that if such numbers entered despite fences and checkpoints, it indicated a policy failure. It demanded that the DGAR immediately issue a white paper clarifying the statement, failing which it would treat it as “an act of dehumanisation against the Chin–Kuki–Mizo people.”
The Kuki-Zo Council accused former Manipur chief minister N. Biren Singh of twisting the DGAR’s remarks to push what it termed a “false narrative” of illegal immigrants in Manipur.
“These 42,000 persons are not illegal immigrants but victims of war and persecution in Myanmar, who crossed the international border seeking refuge and safety,” the council said. It noted that the Assam Rifles, following FMR protocols, had recorded their biometrics and documents, proving due process was being followed.
The KZC also criticised certain media outlets for allegedly echoing Singh’s narrative without verification. “This reckless statement is not only misleading but dangerous, as it seeks to vilify the Kuki-Zo people and inflame tensions in an already fragile situation,” the release stated.
Reasserting their identity, the Kuki-Zo Council emphasised: “The Kuki-Zo people of Manipur are not illegal immigrants, nor have we entered India in recent times. We are the indigenous sons and daughters of this land, whose history and existence in the hills of Manipur long predate the present political boundaries.”
Both the organisations cautioned that branding communities as “outsiders” risks further destabilising Manipur’s delicate social fabric at a time when thousands remain displaced and tensions continue to simmer.
Assam Rifles on Thursday made a clarification.
During a Seminar at Manipur University yesterday (Wednesday), Lt Gen Vikas Lakhera, AVSM, SM, director general Assam Rifles, shared insights on the new FMR policy of the government under which the Myanmarese nationals are now being mapped, the Assam Rifles said.
The statement made by the DG Assam Rifles is being misrepresented by certain media outlets, it said. For clarity, it said that the general officer had stated: “After the new FMR policy came into effect, the Myanmarese nationals entering India through crossing points are now being mapped. Since December, 42,000 individuals have been mapped with the help of biometrics and various measures instituted by all concerned govt agencies. The data of this is being shared with all Govt agencies”
These Myanmarese citizens primarily stay temporarily in the North Eastern states of India, mainly in Manipur, Nagaland, Mizoram & Arunachal Pradesh and eventually revert to their country as per the provisions of new FMR policy, the Assam Rifles said.
“The Seminar was conducted at Manipur University as part of the academic collaboration between Assam Rifles and the University.”
The Assam Rifles asked the media houses not to misconstrue or twist the statement, and to reflect the facts in their correct context.
