Imphal: The North East Students’ Organisation (NESO), an umbrella body of eight influential student organisations from across the region, raised voice over the ‘unchecked influx of illegal migrants’ into the Northeast.
It warned that the indigenous peoples’ cultural, linguistic and political identities are facing an existential threat.
All Manipur Student’s Organisation, under the aegis of NESO, spearheaded a sin-in at Porompat in Imphal East protesting against illigal immigration in the north east region of the country.
A memorandum was submitted to the governor of Manipur, Ajay Kumar Bhalla. NESO demanded urgent intervention from both the Government of India and state governments.
The organisation stressed that decades of neglect and inadequate measures have already altered the demographic balance in several states, and unless robust action is taken, the very identity of the Northeast could be irreversibly changed.
NESO pointed to the case of Tripura as the starkest example, where the once-dominant indigenous population has now been reduced to a minority due to large-scale influx over the decades. Assam too has faced the brunt, culminating in the six-year-long anti-foreigner movement and the signing of the Assam Accord in 1985. However, despite the sacrifices of countless individuals, NESO noted, the promises of the Accord remain unfulfilled and illegal migration continues unabated.
“Meghalaya has similarly witnessed repeated waves of agitation in 1979, 1987 and the early 1990s, all triggered by demographic fears and erosion of indigenous rights. Manipur too has faced continuous inflow of illegal migrants from Myanmar and Bangladesh”, said NESO chairman Samuel B. Jyrwa to reporters here.
The All Manipur Students’ Union and AMSCOC had earlier signed Memorandums of Understanding with the state government in 1980 and 1994 to detect and deport migrants, but those agreements remain unimplemented.
The student leader argued that the crisis is no longer confined to a single state but has spilled over across the region, creating socio-cultural strains and threatening political stability.
Signed by the NESO chairman Jyrwa and secretary general Musikhoyo Yhobu, the memorandum asserted that the issue cannot be treated as merely political or administrative. “This is a matter of survival for the indigenous communities of the North East. Our languages, our traditions, our cultural practices, and our very existence as distinct peoples are at stake.”
NESO criticised the Government of India for responding with short-term, reactionary measures instead of a comprehensive long-term plan. The absence of decisive action, it said, has left indigenous communities vulnerable and forced them to fend for themselves.
NESO has put forward a set of urgent demands to address the crisis strict measures for detection and deportation of illegal migrants without further delay.
The students’ body further demand sealing of the Indo-Bangladesh border to prevent further infiltration, strengthening of border control and monitoring, especially in vulnerable stretches, with deployment of modern surveillance technology and adequate personnel, coordination with neighbouring states to ensure that deported migrants are not relocated within the region, legal safeguards for indigenous rights including protection of land, culture, language, and political representation, setting up of a Special Review Committee to examine population explosion in certain areas and recommend corrective steps, and resolution of the ongoing Manipur conflict, which NESO said must be urgently addressed by both the Centre and the state government to restore holistic peace.
NESO’s memorandum underscored that the demographic and cultural changes already visible in the region are clear signs of an existential crisis. If strong and sustained measures are not taken, it warned, the indigenous identity of the North East could be “irreversibly altered”.
NESO said it would continue to press the governments for a “concrete and decisive solution” to safeguard the future of the North East and its people.
