Imphal: Former Manipur Chief Minister N. Biren Singh praised the Assam Rifles for collecting the biometrics of people who have been entering India illegally from Myanmar, stating that the influx of outsiders is “real and ongoing.”
His comments followed a statement by Assam Rifles Director General Lt. Gen. Vikas Lakhera, who said on Wednesday at a Manipur University event that the paramilitary force had “mapped 42,000 people coming here” since December 31, 2024.
“I thank Lt Gen Shri Vikas Lakhera, AVSM, SM, DG Assam Rifles, for confirming that biometrics are being collected from illegal entrants crossing the Indo Myanmar border. The very need for such a measure underlines an undeniable truth that the influx of outsiders into our region is real and ongoing,” Singh said in a post on X.
He stated, “It is equally reassuring that these individuals are being kept under close watch, accommodated only at secure locations, and monitored under strict authority.”
The message is clear. The Northeast is not blind to what is happening, nor is it leaving anything to chance, the former chief minister said.
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Addressing the interactive programme at the university, Lakhera said the biometrics of the outsiders have been taken and shared with all the agencies.
He added that over 20 battalions of Assam Rifles are deployed along the India-Myanmar border and sought cooperation from the people to stop the influx of illegal immigrants.
