AIZAWL: The Mizo Students’ Union (MSU), a prominent student body in Mizoram, has claimed to have compiled a comprehensive list of Meitei individuals residing in Mizoram and are ready to deport them if any Mizo or Kuki-Zo individuals are deported to Manipur
The MSU’s claim comes in response to Manipur Chief Minister N Biren Singh’s announcement of the government’s intention to identify and deport settlers in Manipur after 1961.
In a statement released by MSU president Samuel Zoramthanpuia on Monday, the student body condemned Manipur Chief Minister’s labelling of all members of the Kuki-Zo community in Manipur as “illegal migrants”.
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Highlighting the historical presence of Kuki-Zo people in Manipur and asserting their status as original settlers since pre-British times, the union also condemned the Chief Minister’s statement.
“It’s crucial for both the Manipur state and central government to recognise that the Kuki-Zo people have been original settlers of present-day Manipur state since pre-British times. They even resisted British encroachment in the now Manipur’s hill area,” Zoramthanpuia was quoted as saying by an online news portal.
According to MSU president, the student body convened an emergency meeting to address the implications of Chief Minister Singh’s statement on the Zo ethnic community in Manipur.
On February 13, Chief Minister Singh had announced the implementation of the Inner Line Permit (ILP), declaring that individuals who settled in Manipur after 1961, regardless of their caste or community, would face deportation, as reported by a national daily.
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This decision came in tandem with the Centre’s resolution to erect a fence along the 1,643 km India-Myanmar border and terminate the free movement regime (FMR) with Myanmar.
Mizoram Chief Minister Lalduhoma had argued that the border between Mizoram and Myanmar was a product of British imposition, and the Mizo people living on both sides of the border do not recognize its legitimacy.
In contrast, Chief Minister Singh expressed gratitude to the Home Minister for these decisions, viewing them as a significant boon for Manipur’s people.
