NRC can be implemented in Manipur under the strict supervision of SC: Kuki group
An apex body of the KukiZo community on Saturday said it would not oppose the implementation of the National Register of Citizens (NRC) in Manipur if it was carried out under the strict supervision of the Supreme Court.
The condition set by the Kuki Inpi Manipur (KIM) followed demands for an Assamlike NRC by Meitei and Naga organisations to “check infiltration” from across Manipur’s border with civil wartorn Myanmar.
Assam underwent a major exercise to update the NRC of 1951. The exercise has remained in limbo since the complete draft was published in August 2019, leaving out 19.06 lakh of some 3.3 crore applicants from the list of citizens.
The KIM said that its members would not dispute any genuine effort to identify noncitizens and take necessary action according to the “constitutional rules and principles”, provided the NRC is carried out under the strict supervision of the Supreme Court and in due consultation with tribal organisations.
“Subsequently, any illegal immigrant found, whether a Kuki, Naga or Meitei, may be thoroughly dealt with as per the established laws of the country,” KIM leader Janghaolun Haokip said in a statement.
‘Hostilities must end’
“The unwarranted and brutal hostilities against our people by the Meiteis must end, and only then a procedural conduct of NRC in KukiZo inhabited regions can be justifiable and viable,” he said, stressing the need for the constitutional protection of the KukiZo people by creating a Union Territory for them.
“The Meitei State leadership responsible for the oppression and persecution of our people, causing the loss of 186 precious lives, the arson and destruction of more than 7,000 houses, and rendering more than 41,000 KukiZo people homeless, has no legitimate say and authority over the future of our people,” Mr. Haokip said.